OCEAN CITY – Night in Venice will return to Ocean City for the 67th time at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23.
Registration is now open to all boat and bayfront home owners who want to participate in this year’s celebration.
The optional theme will be “Mummers: Struttin’ on the Bay,” a tribute to the colorful costumes, themed entries and distinctive string bands that define Philadelphia’s annual New Year’s Day parade and Ocean City’s Tuesday nights on the Boardwalk. Once again, a fireworks display will light up the bay and cap off the festivities on July 23.
The boat parade and decorated bayfront home contest provide a chance to be part of the highlight of the summer season in Ocean City. Thousands of spectators line the bayfront, and thousands more attend private parties at homes along the route from the Ocean City-Longport Bridge to Tennessee Avenue.
Entries for boats and homes are currently being accepted online at www.ocnj.us/niv or by calling (609) 399-6111.
Plans are still taking shape for this year’s event, but one special guest will be Jackie Evancho, who will be performing with the Ocean City Pops in a special concert 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 24 at the Ocean City Music Pier.
Since she first dazzled television audiences at the age of 10 as a runner-up on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” Evancho has released a string of platinum and gold albums with sales of over 3 million. She was a hit in a previous show with the Ocean City Pops on Night in Venice Weekend and wanted to participate in the parade again. Tickets for her show are available at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice or by calling (609) 399-6111.
Free shuttle transportation will be available and free grandstands will be set up at street ends along the route. A special viewing area with entertainment, food vendors and kids’ activities will be set up at the Bayside Center. For more information visit www.ocnj.us/NIV or call (609) 399-6111.