OCEAN CITY – Jack Johnson, Alanis Morissette, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, the Lumineers and more will headline this year’s Oceans Calling Festival, which is set to return to the Ocean City Inlet Sept. 29 through Oct. 1.
On Tuesday, promoter C3 Presents announced this year’s lineup for the Oceans Calling Festival. Highlighting this year’s event are performances by more than 40 national artists.
“We’ve got a little bit of everything for everybody,” Tim Sweetwood, C3 Presents founder, said in an Ocean 98 radio announcement Tuesday. “So hopefully it hits the mark for everyone.”
In addition to Johnson and Morissette, Friday’s concert lineup will include Slightly Stupid, Third Eye Blind, Michael Franti and Spearhead and O.A.R. On Saturday, festivities continue with performances by Mayer, Incumbus, Noah Kahan, Crow, Dispatch, Jimmy Eat World, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, and Matt and Kim, to name a few. The festival will conclude on Sunday with the Lumineers, Weezer, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Dirty Heads, Grace Potter, The Wallflowers and more.
“We’re super excited to be back and try to swing even harder at the lineup,” Sweetwood said Tuesday.
The festival will also feature appearances and cooking demonstrations by chefs Robert Irvine and Amanda Freitag.
“That chef stage and chef area is going to be hosted by Jason Biggs the actor,” Sweetwood said.
The stage was literally set last fall for what was promised to be the biggest musical festival ever in the resort. The three-day lineup included several frontliners including Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, the Lumineers, Morissette and Maryland’s own O.A.R., along with numerous other bands performing on three stages in and around the Inlet lot. The festival, officials say, was expected to draw nearly 40,000 people to Ocean City.
“Last year, we monitored social media quite a bit and what we saw was folks who hadn’t come to Ocean City before, from the West Coast, central U.S., all coming to Ocean City,” Ocean City Tourism and Business Development Director Tom Perlozzo said in Tuesday’s radio announcement. “That’s a tribute to the success Tim and C3 has put together over the years.”
However, the remnants of Hurricane Ian, coupled with a classic nor’easter, forced C3 Presents, in conjunction with town officials, to cancel last year’s Oceans Calling Festival just a day in advance of the festival kickoff.
Since that time, officials have been working to bring the three-day event back to Ocean City in 2023. In November, the Mayor and Council approved a request from C3 Presents to hold Oceans Calling Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, 2023. And in December, staff announced contract negotiations with C3 Presents to bring the festival back beyond 2023.
“We are fast working behind the scenes with all the logistics associated with the event – police, fire, EMS, tourism, special events,” Perlozzo said. “It’s a great thing. We just need Mother Nature to take care of us this year, and we’ll be fine.”
Presale for the 2023 Oceans Calling Festival will begin on Thursday, March 16 at 10 a.m., with public on-sale to follow if any tickets remain. One- and three-day tickets will be offered, as well as VIP and Platinum tickets.
“Fans will also be offered concessions throughout the fest from local food vendors,” a news released reads. “Additionally, the iconic Jolly Roger at the Pier amusement park, located inside the festival grounds, will be fully operational for festival goers, as admission will be included within each Oceans Calling Festival ticket purchase, creating a one-of-a-kind experience.”
For more information, visit www.oceanscallingfestival.com.
