OCEAN CITY — This Friday, a big symbolic key will be turned and business people, some in suits and ties, will calmly march into the Atlantic Ocean along with a misguided photographer or two.
The festivities at the start of the Memorial Day weekend will herald the official opening of the summer tourism season in America’s Greatest Family Resort.
It means that as the weather continues to warm, the beaches will be increasingly filled as families play and splash in the surf. The boardwalk will be thronged with more and more people and the downtown shops busier.
2025 Events Calendar
It’s when a community of 11,000 or so year-round residents grows tenfold and far more on weekends.
The summer will bring Mummer’s Nights on the Boardwalk, taffy sculpting on Wacky Wednesdays, sandcastle-building contests and an entire array of family-friendly events on the boards and downtown to keep locals, second-home owners and visitors busy.
It happens every year. This year should be no exception.
According to Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, this may be a better year as people decide to stay a bit closer to home than they did a year ago.
“I think we’re going to be more like 2019 pre-COVID, which was a good year for us in Ocean City,” she said.
There was more of a travel bug after the pandemic, Gillian explained and now a lot of competition for tourism dollars with travelers heading south in the U.S. and across the Atlantic.
“Last year was the year to go to Europe. A lot of people went to Europe, like everybody we knew went to Europe,” she said. “I think this year, people are starting to come back on a more normal basis.”
The national economy has been roiled during the first few months of the Trump Administration, adding a lot of uncertainty in Americans’ minds. While there may not have been a direct impact on the Jersey shore, it can have an effect on people’s psyches which could have made some people hesitate about their summer plans.
“But now, as soon as that nice weather comes, they start calling,” Gillian said.
“I think the outlook is good for Ocean City. We’re starting to see rentals pick up, which is a good thing. And we see in our social media and our social media buys that our responses have been positive. So that’s always a good thing,” she said.
“And Ocean City is such a great place to come in the summer. There’s so much to do,” Gillian added.
Along with the beach and the boards and the downtown, she noted the city is embracing the bay, not just for the recreational sports, but also for eco-tourism.
“There isn’t much you can’t do from age 2 to 99 in Ocean City,” from the bike path to pickleball, tennis and volleyball. “Even if you’re 104 you can find something to do, like pickleball, play tennis, volleyball, all different things.
“With the beach wheelchairs with their inflated tires and the mats, older people and those with mobility issues can enjoy the beach.
“It’s eight miles, a big island, with lots of activities and something to do for everyone. Outdoor recreation is where it’s at in the summer.
“We all want to be outside, soaking up the sun and having great evenings on the Ocean City Boardwalk,” Gillian said.
– STORY and PHOTO by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
At top, John Walton leads the 2024 Business Persons Plunge to kick off the Memorial Day weekend and summer season in Ocean City.
