Ocean City Fall Block Party Goes Virtual Columbus Day Weekend

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Ocean City Fall Block Party will go virtual. Patrons can shop local from Oct. 9-11 from their homes.

Although the annual event has a virtual emphasis, in-person shopping is still an option. More than 100 shops and cafes will be open for in-person shopping. Downtown and boardwalk table sales will also take place next weekend.

Store specials are posted here.

The annual block party puts an emphasis on supporting small businesses around Ocean City. As predicted, revenue from tourism took a major hit this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Cape May County officials.

County officials calculated tourism losses at 42.06 percent, based off occupancy-tax revenue collected from January through July. The state occupancy tax represents 5 percent of the room rate and is levied on the lodging industry. Read more: Cape May County Tourism Revenue Took Big Hit Due To Coronavirus

Ocean City has canceled special events or made them virtual since New Jersey's coronavirus outbreak began in March.

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