Ocean City's Holiday Season Runs Through Ninth and Asbury This Year
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
Between Thanksgiving weekend and the Sunday before Christmas, the corner of Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue has a horse-drawn carriage out front of City Hall from noon to 3 p.m. on nine separate days. A block away, Santa takes the morning shift at Soifer Park, 901 Asbury Avenue, from 9 to 11 a.m. He then moves to the Music Pier for photos from noon to 3 p.m. on the same eight weekend days. If you spread out the city's 2026 Calendar of Events, last updated Oct. 20, almost every holiday listing between now and New Year's Day falls within a short walk of that corner.
That makes the season easy to plan if you live here. This year it also means the season shares a few blocks with a police headquarters teardown on Central Avenue and a Boardwalk rebuild a little farther up the boards. Here is how the weeks through New Year's Day lay out, starting downtown and working outward.
From Thanksgiving weekend on, Ocean City's Saturdays and Sundays follow the same schedule. The calendar lists it for Nov. 28–29, Dec. 5–6, Dec. 12–13 and Dec. 19–20:
The carriage rides start a little earlier and in a different spot. On Saturday, Nov. 21, they run from 6th and Asbury, noon to 3 p.m. They move to City Hall for Nov. 27, 28 and 29. Families with small children can do a park visit, a ride and a pier photo in one afternoon without moving the car.
The same blocks have a new storefront this year. Philly Love, a Philadelphia sports-themed retail shop at 838A Asbury Avenue, had a ribbon-cutting with the Chamber in September, and Shore Local described it as a year-round shopping option downtown. After the summer season, Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce president Patrick McMahon asked people to keep supporting local businesses all year, OCNJ Daily reported. The downtown events are how merchants make that case in person.
On top of the weekend routine, three events take over the avenue itself.
Saturday, Nov. 21: Earlier Than the Bird. Downtown shopping runs 8 a.m. to noon, the weekend before Thanksgiving, with early-bird specials. The calendar invites shoppers to come in their pajamas.
Friday, Nov. 27: Christmas in the Downtown. The Chamber and merchants bill the afternoon as "Our Miracle on Asbury Avenue." It runs 2 to 5 p.m. and ends when Santa arrives at 5.
Friday, Dec. 4: The Christmas Parade. Starting at 6 p.m., the parade runs on Asbury Avenue from 6th Street to 11th Street. The city's Christmas Parade page handles entries and sponsorships for groups that want to march.
The season wraps up on the same street. First Day Shopping on Jan. 1, 2027 covers Asbury Avenue from 6th Street to 14th Street, which is a slightly longer stretch than the parade route.
If Asbury Avenue is the holiday street, the Music Pier is the holiday stage. In addition to Santa's eight afternoons there, it hosts:
The one big ballet performance held off the boardwalk is Atlantic City Ballet's "The Nutcracker" on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. It plays the Hughes Performing Arts Center at Ocean City High School, with tickets through the same box office. Ocean City Theatre Company also has student shows on both ends of the season: "Cabaret," performed by students in grades 9 through 12, on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 8 at 2 p.m., and "Frozen Jr.," performed by students in grades 3 through 8, on Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 19 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets for both are at oceancitytheatrecompany.com.
Ocean City's busiest holiday blocks are also where some of this winter's heaviest city work is happening.
In the city's Oct. 23 Mayor's Update, the mayor said demolition of the police station headquarters was expected to begin the following Tuesday and take about five weeks. The city's capital project list puts that station on the 800 block of Central Avenue, one street over from the Asbury Avenue shopping blocks. Construction of the new public safety building at 835 Central Avenue is planned to start early in 2027, with completion expected by the end of 2028. A five-week demolition starting Oct. 27 would end around the beginning of December, close to parade night. The city lists construction of the new police substation at 8th Street and the Boardwalk as complete.
On the boards, the same update said demolition from 14th Street to 16th Street was expected to finish Oct. 23, with all materials on site for construction to begin the following week. The mayor called it the third section of Boardwalk rebuilt with a $4.9 million grant. The capital project page describes that grant as paying for the rebuild from St. Charles Place to Fifth Street and lists 14th to 16th as a separate project scheduled after summer 2026. The two city documents describe the funding a little differently. The project page lists the overall Boardwalk schedule as fall 2025 to fall 2026 and sets no separate finish date for the 14th-to-16th block, so check the city's project page before heading up the boards for the Turkey Trot or a Music Pier show.
A few events are set elsewhere on purpose, and each one shows a different side of town.
On the south end, the work is about next year. The 34th Street Sandcastle Park recreation complex is being renovated from fall 2026 into spring 2027, paid for in part by a $3.5 million county grant. Plans include a new playground, a small outdoor stage, a basketball court for kids with disabilities, resurfaced tennis courts, pickleball courts and new restrooms. Drivers on West Avenue should expect raised-intersection construction at 35th, 36th, 37th, 43rd, 44th and 45th streets, with completion scheduled for Dec. 21, 2026.
Out at the airport, City Council approved a $7.4 million contract in October for the new Leon and Elizabeth Grisbaum Airport Terminal. Leon Grisbaum donated $3 million toward the cost. The top floor will have a full-service restaurant looking out over the runway, wetlands and bay, and the city plans to bid out the restaurant once construction is further along. The project page lists work starting before the end of the year and running to fall 2027.
All season the events stay close to Ninth and Asbury. On Thursday, Dec. 31, the city spreads them across the island. First Night, now in its 34th year, is Ocean City's alcohol-free New Year's Eve. One admission button covers every venue, and jitneys start running between venues at 5 p.m.
The Music Pier has the Pennsport String Band, followed by Still Surfin', a Beach Boys tribute, and Shadows of the 60s. The Ocean City High School auditorium has Ocean City Theatre Company's "Junie B. Jones," Country LIVE and Yacht Rock Gold Experience. The rest of the evening includes outdoor ice skating, a DJ Skate Party at the Ocean City Skate Park, swimming at the Community Center, trivia at the Ocean City Free Public Library, and open houses at the U.S. Life Saving Station and the Ocean City Historical Museum. Two drone shows set to music fly over Carey Stadium, and the midnight fireworks go up from the Fifth Street beach. Buttons are limited, and the full schedule is at firstnightocnj.com. The city notes that every date on its calendar can change, so check the morning of.
If your Ocean City home sits empty while the parade and First Night bring people back to the island, it may be a good time to think about off-season tenants for next winter. Lawrence Stone helps owners find seasonal and off-season renters and is happy to talk through what that could look like for your place. Let's Connect.
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