First annual OC Beachfest combines family, fun and extreme entertainment
Starting Friday, June 19, Ocean City will welcome the inaugural weekend of Beachfest, a celebration of an active lifestyle at the shore. The youth and family festival stretches throughout the weekend, with plenty to do and observe on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Coastal Point • Submitted
“We’re hoping for a real big success,” said Brad Hoffman, co-producer of the event. “It’s our first one ever, but it’s dynamic.”
The weekend starts at the Beachfest Village at the Ocean City Convention Center on Friday at 4 p.m. The weekend will include entertainment and activities at the convention center, and along the beach, comprising pro surfers, skateboarders and BMX riders putting on shows and demos, presentations from celebrity athletes and a Best of the Beach Battle of the Bands.
Sponsors and vendors will offer food, games and prizes all weekend long. A Surf Woody car show, displaying old-fashion surf rods, surf wagons, surf vans and beach cruisers, will be held at the Ocean City Convention Center. Local residents and visitors can get involved, too, with pro-am surfing and bodyboarding and pro-am skateboarding contests, a 5-mile race on the Ocean City Boardwalk, a Sprint Triathlon starting on Assateague Beach and a Family Fun Run/Walk.
“We really see this as the first true beach festival that captures and embraces our natural resources to support it,” Hoffman explained. “Ocean City hosts some of the Mid-Atlantic’s largest events, from the Cruisin’ weekends and car shows, and we thought we could bring the beach lifestyle to life with the OC Beachfest.
“This is a way for us to celebrate what we enjoy, while being active. Beachfest is going to capture the imagination. There are so many things to do, and if people want to be involved, they can be.”
A Guppy Division for youngsters is available for most of the competitions. They will receive supervision from elite coaches and get the chance to watch and speak with pro and amateur athletes. Attendants can watch and try their hand in a paddleboard event, too.
“Our slogan for the Ocean City Beachfest is ‘View it or do it,’ and there’s plenty of stuff for people to see and participate in,” said Hoffman. “You have events around the year, like the X-Games, but you’re only watching them. Here, you can get involved, too. It’s our own, homegrown version of that. It’s really a labor of love that has finally come alive.”
Though this is the first year it will take place, Beachfest has been in the works for a number of years.
Coastal Point • Submitted
“It’s a great way to get people outside, exercising and having fun,” Hoffman added. “We already have hundreds of registrants, and we’re hoping the summer crowd will bring in even more.”
Sponsors such as Orange Crush, Reef, KCoast Surf Shop, OC Tri-Running Sports, Indo Boards, Rockstar energy drink, Sand Castle Hotel, Bank of Ocean City and The Green Turtle will have displays and be giving away plenty of prizes.
“In these economic times,” said Hoffman, “it’s not always easy to get a lot of the larger-level sponsors, but we’ve picked up local and regional sponsors and a lot of hotel and motel support. It’s all coming together, and we’re hoping it will be a really fun time.
OC Beachfest will take place at the Convention Center, designated beach areas and at the Ocean Bowl Skate Park this weekend. The shows will operate from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday, June 19, from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, and from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 21. General admission costs $10, and seniors and students can get in for $8. Children younger than 5 are admitted free of charge. An event pass, good for all three days and including a souvenir Beachfest lanyard, is available for $15. For more information, including a schedule of events, registration forms and details, visit www.oceancitybeachfest.com.
