Ocean City First Night Fireworks Canceled

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Due to onshore winds that are forecast to increase in strength Monday evening, the First Night fireworks display set to go off at midnight has been canceled, Ocean City officials announced Monday afternoon.

Additionally, ice-skating at Ocean City's First Night New Year's Eve celebration has been moved from the Civic Center basketball courts to the Ocean City Intermediate School's all-purpose room (1801 Bay Avenue), city officials announced on Sunday. This stop will be part of the route for free jitney transportation between all events.

All other events in Ocean City’s First Night New Year’s Eve celebration remain on schedule. All-inclusive admission buttons will be on sale at City Hall (Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue) through 9 p.m.

The parking lot at Fifth Street and Boardwalk will now be open with free parking for First Night attendees.

For complete information on the event and on how to purchase admission buttons, visit firstnightocnj.com.

OceanFirst Bank donated $10,000 toward Ocean City’s safe and family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration. First Night includes more than 70 shows and activities at venues throughout Ocean City.

First Night in Ocean City was modeled after an alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration in Boston that marked the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, according to Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen. The first celebration in Ocean City 27 years ago included 25 entertainment acts in five different locations with admission buttons selling for $8 ($5 before Dec. 26).

About 800 buttons were sold. While other First Night events have faded, Ocean City's has only grown more popular with families making it an annual tradition for a safe New Year's Eve. Today, attendance is capped at 10,000 with admission buttons selling out year after year.

Some of the new entertainment for this year's lineup includes The Spinners (with six Grammy nominations for hits like "Then Came You," "Working My Way Back to You" and "The Rubberband Man"), Disney Junior's Choo-Choo Soul with Genevieve, an interactive science show from the Franklin Institute, a slapstick comedy dog show called "Johnny Peers & the Muttville Comix," and Vocal Trash, which is described as "Glee Meets Stomp." A Choo Choo Train will run between Sixth Street and Eighth Street on the boardwalk between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Vocal Trash asks you to recycle your imagination as their urban-themed Broadway style show energizes audiences. With their first-class singing, industrial-style drumming and award-winning break-dancing, this green-minded ensemble tours annually on a relentless pursuit to bring people together utilizing the universal language of song and dance.

Their performance redefines the meaning of high-octane family entertainment. Led by co-creators/producers Steve Linder and Kelsey Rae, this cast has captivated audiences of all ages with a lasting and meaningful experience for more than 15 years.

First Night is followed by First Day, which includes the First Day Shopping Extravaganza in downtown Ocean City on Asbury Avenue from Sixth Street to 14th Street. Registration for a 5-kilometer boardwalk run starts at 11 a.m. at the Music Pier, and the run starts at 1 p.m. (Pre-register at runsignup.com). The traditional First Dip in the ocean starts at 2 p.m. adjacent to the Music Pier.

The attached image was provided by Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen: Left to right, OceanFirst Bank Vice-Chairman Steve Brady, OceanFirst Southern Region President Vincent D’Alessandro, Vice-President of Digital Strategy and Innovation Tricia Ciliberto present a $10,000 donation to Ocean City’s 2019 First Night celebration. Ocean City Mayor Jay A. Gillian accepts the check at City Hall in Ocean City on Dec. 14.