Ocean City officials this week signed off on a new, three-year contract with the promoter of the OC Air Show.
On Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to approve a contract for the OC Air Show, with dates tentatively set in 2026, 2027 and 2028. As approved, the three-year agreement would extend the event’s footprint and increase the city’s share of ticket sales beginning in 2027.
“There are some requested changes to the new agreement,” Private Events Manager Lisa Mitchell told the council this week. “One is starting in 2027, the air show would provide $2 per ticket, regardless of ticket type, back to the Town of Ocean City. And the second is starting this year, an expansion of the beach footprint to include 11th street to 17th-and-a-half street. Previously, it was 13th to 17th Street.”
Rather than continue with a yearly memorandum of understanding, where terms are re-negotiated annually, officials in 2022 agreed to pursue a multi-year contract with the organizer of the OC Air Show. Specifically, the agreement mapped out the city’s working relationship with the air show over a three-year period and included terms for the venue, dates, payment, sponsorships, and more.
As part of the arrangement, the air show promoter was required to pay the city $1 for every ticket sold. The 2022 contract also included some key must-haves for city officials, including language that requires the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Canadian Air Force Snowbirds, or two or more U.S. military single ship jet demonstrations to perform as headline acts.
In addition to increasing the city’s per tickets hare from $1 to $2, the contract also sets the footprint, insurance requirements, and event dates for 2026 (June 13-14), 2027 (June 19-20) and 2028 (primary June 10-11, secondary Jun 17-18).