Despite transportation delays on Saturday, officials say this year’s first-ever Boardwalk Rock music festival was an overwhelming success.
An estimated 55,000 people converged on downtown Ocean City last Saturday and Sunday for the inaugural Boardwalk Rock, a sold-out music festival featuring nearly 30 national rock groups.
From the crowds to the weather, Ocean City Tourism and Business Development Director Tom Perlozzo said the weekend was nothing short of a “tremendous success for Ocean City.”
“Young and old enjoyed the entertainment and our iconic setting on the boardwalk,” he said this week. “The economics to the event are terrific and from a tourism perspective the viral nature of photos, band appearances, followers, ticket holders and guests, really can’t be measured as it’s a huge boost to our marketing efforts.”
In downtown Ocean City, Boardwalk business owners said crowds were similar to those seen at the two fall festivals – Oceans Calling and Country Calling. Restaurateurs said staffing issues also persisted for last weekend’s event, as high school students were still in school, college students were still taking finals and J-1 students had not yet arrived.
“This weekend was harder to staff,” said The Dough Roller’s Kevin Gibbs. “That was the first thing I noticed … It was like a punch in the face to start the season.”