2024 OCEANS CALLING: HARMONIZING AGAIN THE HIGHS AND LOWS

Oceans Calling 2024 insights

As most OceanCity.com followers and attendees are aware, this past weekend’s Oceans Calling, a three-day (September 27^th to 29th) music festival came to town.  The footprint of the event was located in the southern end of Ocean City on the beach and boardwalk.  It was the largest ticketed music festival in the history of Ocean City and all are abuzz!  The second largest ticketed event was held last year: 2023 Oceans Calling, but this year there were even more attendees (55,000 vs 50,000).  So, let’s recap and review what worked well and share some recommendations to improve future events.

The OceanCity.com Assessment of Oceans Calling 2024

Below are some of our findings based on observations, while attending each of the three days, speaking with festival attendees, monitoring Face Book comments, and getting feedback from several business owners inside and outside of the festival grounds.  We have the benefit of last year’s Oceans Calling event for some comparisons.  We did review some of the topics we covered last year, but as with an event as large as this one, there are bound to be items that we do not address.  But here’s our best summations.

So, Who Attended?

Like last year, this year’s event was a mix of so many groups; from seasoned music festival people to those who had never been. Most were from out of town, as one would expect; from other parts of Maryland, the region and the country.  Those who attended the 2023 event and had favorable memories, were here to duplicate the experience, again this year.

Last year, it was stated by the promoter that attendees came from every state in the nation. And let’s not forget that many from the Ocean City area who attended too; people of all ages, including kids and infants!!

What Did Attendees Think of the 2024 Oceans Calling?

Overall, most attendees loved this event.  Almost all attendees arrived in good spirits and planned to have a good time over the full three days.  For the most part, attendees were respectful towards each other, even given varying weather conditions and the tight personal space at times.

On Friday, the weather was problematic, overcast with some light rain early, followed by a deluge of rain, which came late in the evening hours; this made for memories that will last for a lifetime.  Saturday brought beautiful sun shiny skies, followed by Sunday, which was partly cloudy with some strong breezes and enjoyable. 

Last year, the weather was misting on the first day (Friday), raining at times on Saturday, but on Sunday the sun came, which made for a grand finale of this inaugural three-day event.

One had to feel a little bad for the attendees that only had Friday passes this year and received the worst of the weather.  For those with multi day passes, the weather on Saturday and Sunday felt like redemption for having to get through Friday!  But until about 6:30 pm on Friday, the weather held off fine for those to enjoy the music. 

The Highs

The music!

Who could not be impressed by the quality and diversity of the music?  The headliners of Dave Matthews Band and The Killers delivered as promised, and all the other music proved to be outstanding, too.  And if one band was not to your liking, one could venture over to one of the other stages to listen to other performers. National names such as Cage the Elephant, 311, OAR, The Offspring, Mt. Joy, Barenaked Ladies, and so many more performed for this sold-out crowd.  And don’t forget the excellent and well received performances of The Beach Boys and Boyz II Men!!   Even those performing at the smaller Carousel stage were greatly appreciated by many, such as Sugar Ray, The Revivalists, Grouplove, and Pidgeons Playing Ping Pong.

Forty-five bands to listen to in these three days!! Of course, the weather, a delayed start, and shortened set for Blink 182 on Friday night was frustrating and disappointing to many who braved the poor conditions.  In addition, there were several times that the stage sound was not very clear but overall, the performances started on time and were well received.

The Festival Set-Up

Last year, during the planning phase, the organizers of Oceans Calling (C3 Presents) declared that they had substantial experience in running these types of large, music events and they were correct!  For the most part the same original layout was retained for 2024.  The three stages (Sea Bright, Rockville, and Carousel) were located to allow proper sound distancing from each other and yet not require a long trek to any of them. The set up with the ocean and inlet backdrops, the wide beach, and nearby Boardwalk, brought together all the best attributes that make Ocean City so special to so many. This layout allowed thousands to flow from event to event. However, this year’s larger crowd did present some issues with pedestrian flow and that will be addressed further in this review. 

One addition that seemed to work well this year was the dedicated beach towels/blanket areas. They were located in the rear of the listening areas and marked with signs.  If one may recall from last year, people were claiming space closer to the stage by laying out their territorial towels and blankets which did cause some conflict with other attendees.

The Festival Amenities

The event provided hydration stations, ample restroom facilities (with flushing toilets, not just your regular porta potties), charging stations for cell phones, lockers, ADA viewing areas, free rides at the Jolly Roger Amusements on the OC Pier, a first aid tent, and more.

Food and drink

There was a wide assortment of both food and drink options again at this year’s event. Some of the prices may have appeared high but not so unaffordable when you think of prices at other comparable, large events.   Bonus – for the most part, the beverage lines moved very well.

There was a great selection of food choices near the music venues, including Hebros Cheesesteaks, Hot Box Wraps, Lobster Rolls and More, Pho Cue, San Matteo Pizza, and Wookie Dogs. The lines at these food and drink stands were often not long, depending on the timing, but for the most part they moved fairly well also.

Participation of Boardwalk Businesses

The involvement of the many businesses located south of North Division Street was crucial to the success of last year’s inaugural event and also for this year. The southern end of the boardwalk contains many of the iconic businesses that Ocean City regular visitors come to expect: Dolle’s Candyland, Fisher’s Popcorn, Dumsers Dairyland ice cream, Dough Roller pizza, Candy Kitchen, and more. In addition, festival goers were also able to visit some of the popular downtown bars on and just off the boardwalk that enhanced the festival experience and also enlarged the financial impact of the event to many more.  

One could easily see the positive impact on the bars and restaurants that were inside the festival footprint.   A little further walk southwards on the boardwalk brought event attendees to Harrison’s HarborWatch Restaurant and Raw Bar and The Wedge Bar with some of the best water views in Ocean City; the Ocean City Inlet, bay and Assateague State Park.   Many attendees also frequented The Bar, town’s second oldest bar (1940). 

These eateries and bar establishments being in the festival footprint were a vital complement to the event vendors.  Their inclusion in the festival footprint, again allowed attendees to be able to have the full Ocean City experience.  More importantly, their inclusion provided much of the community and business support to this second-year event. 

Entrance and Re-entrance Gates 

Accessibility to enter and leave the event was generally very easy, especially during non-peak times.  There were two entrance/exit locations; North Division Street and South Division Street.   There were numerous gate points to pass through for each entrance.  Attendees often arrived around noon to see all of the events, while others arrived throughout the day to see the later music performances. It made for a fairly free flowing movement for most. The ease of re-entry allowed attendees to also visit the nearby downtown businesses and eateries outside of the event footprint.  The event was proactive in informing attendees of the very specific bag and item regulations, which was very helpful on the front-end.

Security

The event sponsors and the Town of Ocean City did a good job in making sure the event was a safe. Security personnel inside and outside of the perimeter were visible and friendly.  Given this large crowd, I did not see or hear of any confrontations with or police actions.  As stated previously, the attendees seemed very flexible, cooperative and pleased to be at this event.

Cleanliness – Last year’s event was well maintained for the most part, but I think cleanliness was even better this year. Trash bags were regularly changed along the Boardwalk and beach area.  It felt like there were an army of volunteers (thanks to the Ocean City Surfriders Club and OC Go Green) holding recycle bags and picking up the empty aluminum cans for recycling.

The public restrooms brought in for the event had few complaints with some favorable comments on their cleanliness.  Several noted the hand sanitizers did run out of fluid.  Others noted rinse stations, rather than hand sanitizers, would have been nice.

Bicycles

And you would have thought Ocean City had become Amsterdam USA with its number of bikes at this event! It was great to have accommodations close to the event (at 1st Street on the beach area) to park and lock one’s bikes. Solid platforms on the beach were provided to place this fencing upon. There was metal fencing to park one’s bikes near the north entrance by 1^st Street on the east side of the boardwalk.  To say bikers used this facility was a gross understatement.  Bikes were also locked and parked along the many Boardwalk benches north of the festival site.

Last year the bikes were simply locked against the parallel fencing which limited such bikes. This year, bikes were locked perpendicular which allowed the storage of many more bikes.  It was great to see so many bikers. Biking seemed like the best transportation method, especially if you were several miles away. Bikers were evident traveling to and from all day long; along the Boardwalk, alleys, St. Louis Avenue south of 17^th Street, and Coastal Highway. Remember the designated bus lanes on Coastal Highway also serve as bike lanes.  Our one concern from last year, was the number of bikes lacking bike lights for improved visibility. Many did bike home along the Boardwalk, which does have lighting but once off the boardwalk, and particularly on the alleys and side streets, it is difficult to see.

This year, the local bicycle companies could see the business sense in promoting their bike rentals as one of the most convenient ways for attendees to travel to and from the event.  This method of transportation will only grow in popularity.  A larger bike parking facility, near the event, would be welcomed in future events. 

Other transportation modes:

• Personal vehicles. Many ventured to drive to the downtown area to this event. Public parking filled up quickly and parking lots were charging  upwards of $100 per space in the south end.  The Presbyterian Church at 13^th Street and St. Louis Avenue was requesting a $30 donation to park and at 17^th Street and Philadelphia Avenue, Holy Savior Catholic Church was requesting a $10 donation per space.  But even these church parking lots filled up, too.  Of course, if one waited to the end of the headliner performances, which ended about 11 pm each night, they would expect to sit in traffic for quite a while.  Earlier departees fared much better in driving back to their nightly accommodations.
• Ride sharing options – this seemed like a mixed bag. The main spot for these users was at the public parking lot at Baltimore Avenue and 4^th But others were catching them at other locations, too.  There were a number of “gypsy” drivers circulating the area to provide event goers a ride too, for a fee.
• Water transportation – there were several area boat providers who “taxied” attendees to and from the event for a specific fee. OC Bayhopper, a local water taxi and water cruise company and Saltwater Adventures transported many people for this event over the three days. 
• Walking – sometimes the most basic method is often the best. Scores of event attendees walked several miles from the north part of town as well as from the west (over the Route 50 Bridge).  They planned to stay in area hotels and residential units within a specific walking proximity.  Others walked a distance back to their parked vehicles. 

This year’s Major Concern

Crowding

The number one complaint raised by many attendees this year was the number of people at this event.  As previously stated, there were 55,000 tickets sold.  Last year up to 50,000 tickets were sold, but it just seemed for most there was many more attendees than a ten percent increase. 

Not only did the increased number of attendees affect visibility but also affected pedestrian flow; sometimes to the point of being squeezed in by others.  This was most evident by the Carousel stage near the Midas trailer on the southside of the event grounds.  This area was often full with Carousel stage listeners, but was an exit pathway for the Rockville stage people to get to the nearest restrooms and Boardwalk.  This was not as noticeable last year, but with the larger attendance this had the potential of being a public safety issue. Several attendees expressed this fear too. 

Would an adjustment of start times between music performances at the Carousel and Rockville stages help this pedestrian traffic flow?  We will leave that up to the promoters to figure out, since they have the experience and knowledge, but this one area of conflict does need to be addressed and corrected.

Another observation; the Carousel stage seemed to have very popular bands (i.e. Sugar Ray and Boyz II Men) that overwhelmed this tented area which contained the smallest area of the three stages.

Still needing improvement

Transportation

Bus Service

For those that attended last year’s Oceans Calling, all remember the long bus lines and times lack of service at all, particularly on that first day.  There were lots of frustrated attendees, but adjustments were made by the Town’s bus system operators and proactive on informing attendees in how best to get around.

This year’s buses continued to remain full for the most part at peak times, but didn’t seem as bad as last year.  Many still voiced complaints about the long waits and overcrowded buses. Most recommended more buses for this event.  Were more buses added this year, we don’t know? 

There were many that seemed satisfied with the bus service who were able to arrive at low peak times and leave before the end of the evening headline concerts.  Again, this year, the Town provided express bus service with limited stops to improve the bus service capacity.  Some attendees were not familiar with these limited bus stops for the express buses.  But if you were staying or parked within three miles of the event it was probably easier to walk than wait for buses or ride share options. 

Cell phone reception 

For last year’s Ocean Calling, poor cell phone reception and lack of Wi-Fi was a major complaint and concern for many.  This year the event featured two new towers (one Verizon and other AT&T) to help resolve this issue.  Reception did appear better, until the most crowded events occurred.  Wi-Fi was not existent during the peak concert times and pretty limited elsewhere.

As the event became more crowded there was a noticeable drop off in cell phone reception and transmission at the inlet area. This was true for both Verizon and AT&T customers. Attendees wishing to contact their family and/or friends to meet up or transmit pictures or a video to others not in attendance were left in limbo. As was the case last year, for those who figured it out, it was best to walk back to the Boardwalk and away from the crowds to get reception on their phones. Many just waited until after the event to transmit pictures and videos after leaving the event grounds. Of course, many just scrapped the cell phones and just enjoyed the music.  But if you hoped to meet with family and friends, it was best to set a time and location to meet rather than expect to coordinate via phone or text transmission.

Conclusion

Overall, from an attendee perspective and also from an economic perspective, the event was successful.  The music was exceptional.  The amenities, beverage and food services, and staff were very good. 

It was evident that the eateries, bars, and nearby hotels did well.   The Oceans Calling event provided a major financial benefit to many – both for employers and employees, and particularly in the downtown area.  Last year’s inaugural Oceans Calling music festival was unforgettable to those who attended.  Here’s hoping that this 2024 Oceans Calling festival was as memorable to the first-time attendees as well as the 2023 returnees.

The largest complaint was the size of the crowd.  Oceans Calling will need to consider the effects of increasing the number attendees in the future and expanding the footprint and spacing of stages, performance timing, and amenities.   This should be an important issue for the promoters and Town of Ocean City to ensure that as they “grow” this event, that it not be done by sacrificing its quality.  C3 Presents, the company behind Oceans Calling handles the music lineup, setting up, coordinating the logistics, and marketing.  Their goal, per its website, “We’re in the business of putting smiles on people’s faces.”  And C3 again delivered.

For most, this event was a tremendous experience and attendees look forward to returning to Ocean City in 2025 for the next one.

Up next is Country Calling on same footprint in Ocean City on October 4th and 5th, 2024.

Event Survey

After this event, ticket purchasers should have received a survey from Oceans Calling asking for input.  The survey is long but easy to complete.  It included questions about your experience at the festival, arrival and departure experience, favorite group, artists you wish to see next year, feelings on personal security, directional signage, expenditures for food/drink/apparel, ticket pricing, and more.  We believe the Oceans Calling Festival people are listening, so please complete.  It was evident that some adjustments were made from last year.

Here are several select comments from downtown businesses and attendees:

Kevin Gibbs, owner of Dough Roller Restaurant (in festival footprint) – “Oceans Calling is really the best of what Ocean City has to offer.  Great boardwalk pizza and subs, treats served fast on the beach, with views you get from no other festival in the country.”

Danny Robinson, owner of Hammerheads On The Beach (on boardwalk but not in festival footprint) –

“I loved how the visitors this weekend weren’t just here to enjoy the festival, but also took advantage of everything this town has to offer.  Even though the weather didn’t cooperate the first night, everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. We couldn’t squeeze another guest in our restaurant from the time we opened on Friday to when we closed Sunday night. Although we were crowded, it was a festive atmosphere with smiles all around.  These days our city has to compete with other tourist destinations, like products sitting next to each other on a shelf. I believe this weekend we put on a great show as an event and as a town. Plenty of people made the trip as fans of music, and left as fans of Ocean City.”

Jim Parillo, owner of Big Jim’s Bikes (with 3 locations but outside of the festival footprint) – “I can’t say enough positive things about the customer base during oceans calling.  Very respectful, polite, and friendly.  Enjoyed working with them and looking forward to next year.”

Kathy Thornton Zynel – from FB – “We had a great time, loved the lineup! An area that needs improvement is the cluster around the Carousel. The artists drew large crowds around the small stage, causing people to pack in and still not be able to see or move to get elsewhere. We needed more space or less people.”

Sokeng Cleary – from FB – “Well done all.  It was great.  Could tell more bike racks were needed and more buses.”

Philip Jason Butler – from FB – “This local had a blast. My punk/emo heart loved the lineup. “