OCEAN CITY – A new car event will replace the traditional corvette weekend in Ocean City.
On Monday, Live Wire Media’s Brad Hoffman came before the Mayor and Council with a request to bring an inaugural Bronco Beach Bash to Ocean City Oct. 14-15. Hoffman said the new event will take the place of Corvette Weekend, which will not return to Ocean City in 2023.
“We felt this was a nice, niche event that could fill that void, economically, for the town,” he said.
Hoffman told the council this week he was seeking permission to host the Bronco Beach Bash at the south end of the Inlet parking lot and on the beach from 29th Street to the Inlet during the second weekend in October. He said the event would be smaller than the Jeep Week festivities he brings to town each year.
“The big part of this is it’s a smaller event than Jeep Week is,” he said. “It’s going to be a beginning event, but it’s going to be the first ever Bronco event on the beach in any town in the United States. So it’s a chance for us to do a first here.”
Hoffman said the goal of the event is to bring Bronco enthusiasts to town.
“I’m excited about it because I see the Bronco as we could be on the front side of something with this event,” he said. “There will be vendors coming in, Bronco enthusiasts will come in and we will have some evening events. But it will all be hubbed in the Inlet parking lot with a beach cruise we will create for that, as well as a small sand course – similar to what I do for Jeep Week – on the beach.”
Hoffman estimated the Bronco Beach Bash would host between 300 and 400 Bronco its first year. He said the event also received the support of Special Events Director Frank Miller.
“Having the history of running that [Jeep Week] event, and also understanding the logistics, the production and the communication I’ve been able to have with the Town of Ocean City, through public works and the police department, I think it’s going to be a smooth event,” Hoffman said. “I think it’s going to be a good starter event for the town, and I’m really excited to move forward, hopefully with your votes of confidence tonight.”
Mayor Rick Meehan noted that the parks and recreation department had some concerns about hosting the event at the Inlet lot the weekend prior to Sunfest, as it could interfere with the setup.
“Is there a problem there?” he asked.
Special Events Coordinator Lisa Mitchell said there wasn’t.
“They just wanted to bring it to our attention,” she replied. “Mr. Miller, my boss, looked at it. He doesn’t see any issue with it at all.”
Hoffman agreed.
“He was really confident it wouldn’t interfere with Sunfest at all, or the setup,” he added.
With no further discussion, the council voted unanimously to approve the event request.
