OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Air Show will roar across the resort sky this summer after all on the weekend of Aug. 15-16, event officials announced on Thursday.
Originally scheduled for June 13-14, the OC Air Show was postponed, but not cancelled back in April amid the height of the COVID-19 crisis in Maryland and the uncertainties surrounding where the state would be in its recovery plan by mid-June. Instead, event organizers promised to look for dates later in the summer and made good on that promise this week with the announcement of the Aug.15-16 dates.
The new air show dates announced on Thursday come one week after the end of the annual White Marlin Open, giving Ocean City a significant one-two punch in August at a time when the resort is still pulling out of what has been a decidedly different summer. Many of the major acts will be performing at the August air show while organizers are still hoping to confirm the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, which was expected to be the highlight of the 2020 air show in Ocean City.
The U.S. Air Force has scheduled the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II and A-10 Thunderbolt II demonstration teams to perform at the OC Air Show in August. A glance at the Thunderbirds schedule shows the jet demonstration team is scheduled to appear in Wyoming on July 22 and at the Thunder over the Boardwalk Air Show in Atlantic City on Aug. 26, so they could still be available for the OC Air Show on the weekend of Aug. 15-16. Nonetheless, the lineup in August promises to be an exciting one.
“This will be one of the first times aviation fans can see a demonstration of the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters at the same event,” said OC Air Show Chairman Bryan Lilley. “We are also eagerly awaiting the release of the Thunderbirds’ updated schedule and we’re hopeful they will be performing as well.”
Lilley said air show officials are working closely with the town of Ocean City to implement a series of “Stay Safe and Separate” initiatives to take advantage of the wide-open spaces over the beach and Boardwalk to ensure physical distancing and other public safety measures for spectators.
“The stage for the OC Air Show is 10 miles wide and 1,000 feet high,” he said. “Spectators can watch from their backyard, balcony, boat or the beach, making it the ideal event for the Ocean City community to host in the era of social distancing.”
Already, the OC Air Show has plans in place to ensure the safety of guests and spectators, particularly at the designated venues such as the Drop Zone Beach, the Flight Line Club, the VIP Skybox and the VIP Penthouse, for example. Those venues will be increased in size and a reduced number of tickets will be available at each venue to ensure guests can stay separated from other groups.
Tickets must be purchased online or via phone and will not be sold on-site at the event. Event officials also plan to mitigate lines at the venue entrances with additional entry points and by allowing early entry. There will also be provisions for six feet of separation between groups waiting to check in and contactless ticket scanning will be available along with individually-packaged wristbands guests can put on themselves.
In addition, there will be frequent sanitization of all surfaces and restrooms and hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations will be prevalent throughout the venues. New this year for the 2020 air show will be other premium viewing areas called the “Sand Boxes,” designed primarily for those at risk, the elderly and families with small children to enjoy the event in their own personal areas of the beach.
The public address sound for the air show normally available in the immediate area around the Show Center will be much more limited and only audible in the premium viewing areas to encourage spectators to spread out across the entire beach where the air show can be viewed. Instead, a text feed version of the narration will be made available via the event’s Twitter page.
In addition, new mobile device technology will be deployed to enhance spectators’ ability to enjoy the show anywhere within a 10-mile radius of where the jets are performing, allowing spectators to virtually enjoy the show. OC Air Show officials are encouraging spectators and guests to continue to adhere to the state directives in place including wearing masks while entering the various venues or going to the concessions or restrooms.
Wearing a mask will be optional while sitting and watching the show while separated from others. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available for purchase at the event merchandize stands around the venues.
