WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OCEAN CITY 5/11/22
One of Ocean City’s premier events – the Spring Block Party – will go off rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 14.
More than 350 crafters, food vendors and entertainers will line a mile of downtown Asbury Avenue between Fifth Street and 14th Street. The Block Party helps draw tens of thousands of people to Ocean City for a pre-summer weekend of fun.
Entertainers and bands will perform at various spots along the Avenue between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Just a few of the perennial favorites include Chad Juros (creating balloon animals at 5th Street), Big Daddy (at 6th Street), the Robert Boney Band (7th Street), and Keith Hickman (at 14th Street). Pony rides for children will be available on the grounds of the Ocean City Tabernacle (at Sixth Street and Asbury Avenue) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors including Asbury Avenue restaurants will offer food of every variety.
Street parking will be free at all metered spots and downtown parking lots in Ocean City, including at the Transportation Center lot (Ninth Street and Haven Avenue) and at the municipal lots on the 700 and 800 blocks of Central Avenue.
The weekend celebration also includes table sales by downtown and boardwalk merchants with discounted merchandise set up between Sixth Street and 14th Street on the boardwalk and Asbury Avenue throughout the weekend.
The 2022 lineup for the Ocean City Pops is set, and tickets for the individual shows go on sale starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 12. The legendary local orchestra has been a fixture at the Music Pier since 1929, and the upcoming season includes a wide variety of music for all ages and tastes. To purchase tickets, visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, call 609-399-6111 or stop by one of the welcome centers at City Hall, the Route 52 causeway or the Music Pier.
The season schedule includes:
Sunday, June 26, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
The Ocean City Pops starts its 2022 season with a legendary band that is on a decades-long mission to celebrate and revitalize jazz and swing music — America’s original musical art form — and bring joy to audiences around the world.
Sunday, July 3, 2022
Carey Stadium
Join Maestro Vince Lee for an evening of patriotic music and popular hits. This will also be the debut of a brand-new outdoor concert stage, provided by the Friends of the Ocean City Pops. This second annual outdoor concert is free and open to the public. No ticket or advance registration is necessary. Bring a beach chair or blanket for this event.
Monday, July 4, 2022
Carey Stadium
A second free outdoor patriotic concert. No ticket or advance registration is necessary.
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Ode to Joy: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
Ocean City Music Pier
Originally planned for Beethoven’s 250th birthday, this monumental concert brings one of history’s most beloved and famous works to the Ocean City Music Pier. A symphonic choir, four soloists, and a full orchestra will team up for the first full performance of this work in Ocean City history.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin are just a sampling of what you will hear from one of the most important eras of American Music – Tin Pan Alley.
Sunday, July 17, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
With a career that spans an incredible seven decades, John Williams has helped to create some of the most memorable moments of the silver screen. Maestro Vince Lee leads an expanded Ocean City Pops orchestra in selections from Star Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T., and so much more. Bring the whole family, and don’t miss the pre-concert events featuring characters from the movies.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Ocean City Pops conductor emeritus Bill Scheible returns to the Music Pier. A fixture of the Ocean City music scene, Maestro Scheible leads his long-time colleagues in a collection of standards and favorites.
Sunday, July 24, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Ocean City favorite Jackie Evancho returns to Ocean City. A worldwide sensation when she was only 10 years old, she first dazzled American television audiences with her stunning debut on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Ms. Evancho is excited to bring new songs and familiar favorites to the Music Pier stage.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
The Great White Way extends to the ocean for this concert. As Broadway roars back to life, join Maestro Vince Lee, the Ocean City Pops, and special guests in a celebration of the world of theater. Hear Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Stephen Sondheim, and much more.
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
The musicians of the Ocean City Pops take center stage as featured soloists. The orchestra will be at its virtuosic best as Maestro Vince Lee leads some of the greatest and most-beloved music in history.
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Tony-nominated Elizabeth Stanley makes her Ocean City debut. Already a Broadway success from her roles in Company (2006) and Million Dollar Quartet, Ms. Stanley reached new levels of acclaim with her blockbuster performance in Jagged Little Pill. Come hear one of NYC’s most versatile voices perform selections ranging from classic musical theater to modern rock.
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
International superstar Katherine Jenkins makes her return to the Ocean City Music Pier. Crowned ’The Biggest Selling Classical Artist of the Century’ by Classic FM, her warm voice and charismatic stage presence are guaranteed to bring the house down. Don’t miss this rare, stateside appearance by one of the UK’s best.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
After last year’s blockbuster concert featuring four of the best opera students in the country, Maestro Vince Lee is thrilled to make this concert an annual Ocean City tradition. Two of last year’s performers were district winners of the Met Opera competition, and a third made it to the finals. Come hear which future superstars will make their debuts on the Music Pier stage.
Sunday, August 28, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Jersey City legends The Duprees return to the Ocean City Music Pier. Audiences around the country have enjoyed their timeless doo-wop sound for decades. Come celebrate the 60th anniversary of their first hit single, “My Own True Love,” as they fill the hall with their signature sound.
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Lee Greenwood, a country superstar and American legend, makes his debut with the Ocean City Pops. Most famous for his 1984 hit “God Bless the U.S.A.,” you’ll also hear other smash hits (“IOU,” “Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands”), along with a few surprises. (Tickets for this show will not be on sale Thursday. Opening of ticket sales is TBA.)
Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Our “Three Tenors” from 2021 return to Ocean City. This unique mix of spectacular singers – two from opera and one from musical theater – creates one of the most compelling and entertaining “Tenors” shows in the country.
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Feel free to dance in your seats as Maestro Vince Lee leads the Ocean City Pops in dance music from around the world. From a classic waltz to modern toe-tappers, this concert is guaranteed to get you moving.
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Get ready to rock ’n’ roll down memory lane with an evening of music and memories straight from the radio, featuring the biggest pop songs of all time. Groove along to more than eight decades of chart-topping hits from the greatest names in music history, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Adele and more.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
Ocean City Music Pier
Help us end on a high note, and come celebrate the virtuosic close of our 2022 season. Maestro Vince Lee will lead the fabulous musicians of the Ocean City Pops in a jam-packed lineup of piano favorites, ranging from rock to Rachmaninoff. Highlights also include rare gems from the storied Ocean City Pops music library, such as a breathtaking work by Chopin, along with new arrangements written just for the Pops by Maestro Lee.
