OCEAN CITY — Expect major delays, plan ahead and be prepared for significant traffic pattern alterations, including the closure of the downtown area to vehicles, are the biggest takeaways from the resort’s plans for next weekend’s major music festival.
The inaugural Oceans Calling, featuring many nationally known and popular acts, is set for next weekend, Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in and around the Inlet and the pier. The concerts will take place all day, culminating with the headline acts — Dave Matthews, the Lumineers and Alanis Morrisette — each night.
The event is expected to draw 40,000 ticket holders to the resort over the weekend, which will likely create some logistic challenges for the town’s municipal transportation system, especially when the concerts for the major acts conclude each night. While some of the plans have been discussed at different levels, the government this week issued a release explaining the details for moving waves of concertgoers to and from the event and it included a few new elements.
For example, perhaps the biggest takeaway is the downtown area south of the Route 50 Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic between 9 p.m. and midnight each night of the three-day festival. The south turn lane off the Route 50 Bridge will be restricted to emergency vehicles and mass transit vehicles only during those hours.
Vehicular traffic south on Philadelphia Avenue will be diverted onto North Division Street and north on Baltimore Avenue during the festival. In addition, a traffic pattern will be established to direct all southbound traffic on St. Louis Avenue to 2nd Street toward Philadelphia Avenue.
Gonna be an interesting weekend with a hurricane brewing in the gulf.
And the pop up cars showing up
I keep seeing these tickets all over Facebook. People are selling them all over the place. Did they change their mind or is something else going on.