If family is coming down for one weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which one should it be? On Ocean City's 2026 calendar, the answer barely depends on Santa. Santa keeps the same hours in the same spots on four weekends straight. What changes from weekend to weekend is the rest of the Music Pier's schedule.
The city's 2026 Calendar of Events, updated October 20, puts three recurring stops on every Saturday and Sunday from November 28 through December 20. The one-off events land around those stops. Once you know the loop, the season is easy to plan.
The loop that runs four weekends in a row
These three stops repeat on November 28–29, December 5–6, December 12–13 and December 19–20:
- Santa in the Downtown, 9 to 11 a.m. at Soifer Park.
- Horse and carriage rides, noon to 3 p.m. at 9th and Asbury Avenue, in front of City Hall at 861 Asbury.
- Photos with Santa, noon to 3 p.m. at the Music Pier.
The order is built in. Soifer Park wraps up at 11, and the carriage rides and Pier photos both open at noon. That leaves an hour for breakfast or coffee on Asbury before the afternoon starts. Both afternoon stops sit near 9th Street. City Hall is at the 9th Street end of Asbury, and the Music Pier is on the Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace, between 8th and 9th. They run during the same three hours, though, so with a carriage ride and a Santa photo on the list, you will need to split the afternoon between them.
Thanksgiving weekend gets one extra day. Carriage rides also run on Friday, November 27, alongside the downtown kickoff.
What shares the Music Pier each weekend
Photos with Santa use the Music Pier for the same noon-to-3 window every weekend. The rest of the Pier's schedule is what makes each weekend different.
| Weekend | Also at the Music Pier | Elsewhere that weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 28–29 | Holidays With the Ocean City POPs, Sat. 2 and 6 p.m. | Downtown kickoff Friday, Nov. 27 |
| Dec. 5–6 | Holiday Train Expo, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days | Christmas Parade Friday, Dec. 4; Nutcracker Sunday at the Hughes Performing Arts Center |
| Dec. 12–13 | It's A Shore Holiday, Sun. 4 p.m. | None listed |
| Dec. 19–20 | Nothing else listed | Ocean City Theatre Company's Frozen Jr., Dec. 18–19 |
Thanksgiving weekend runs the longest, from Thursday through Sunday. The Ocean City Pops orchestra, conducted by Vince Lee and joined by the Ocean City Pops Festival Chorus, plays Christmas classics and newer hits at 2 and 6 p.m. on Saturday. The calendar warns that tickets for this show should not wait. The 2 p.m. show starts while Santa photos are still going, so the Pier has two crowds that afternoon. Tickets are sold through the city box office, at any Welcome Center, or by phone at 609-399-6111.
The first weekend of December is the busiest. It opens Friday, December 4, with the Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. on Asbury Avenue from 6th Street to 11th Street. That route runs right past City Hall, where the carriage rides start the next day. The city lists bands, floats and characters including the Grinch, with Santa at the end. Parade entries are due November 27. On Saturday and Sunday, the free Holiday Train Expo fills the Music Pier with model-train displays and vendors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa photos run in the same building at midday. On Sunday at 4 p.m., Atlantic City Ballet performs The Nutcracker, choreographed by Phyllis Papa, at the Hughes Performing Arts Center at Ocean City High School.
December 12–13 has a later finish. Atlantic City Ballet comes back on Sunday at 4 p.m., this time at the Music Pier, with It's A Shore Holiday. The calendar describes it as a Radio City–style revue with singers, dancing chipmunks and snowmen. It starts an hour after Santa photos end, in the same building, so a family can do photos at the Pier and stay for the show.
December 19–20 is the quietest Pier weekend. Apart from the loop, the Music Pier has nothing else on the calendar. The Ocean City Theatre Company's Frozen Jr., with students in grades 3 through 8, plays at 7:30 p.m. on December 18 and 19 and at 2 p.m. on December 19. Tickets are at oceancitytheatrecompany.com. For guests who want Santa and a carriage ride without a crowd waiting for a train display or a concert, this weekend has the least competing for the Pier.
Before the loop starts
The weeks before Thanksgiving set up the season, and most of these events are about shopping.
- November 7 and 8. Ocean City Theatre Company students in grades 9 through 12 perform Cabaret, at 7:30 p.m. on the 7th and 2 p.m. on the 8th.
- November 11. The Veterans Day Program starts at 11 a.m. inside the Tabernacle, 550 Wesley Avenue.
- November 14. The Chamber of Commerce holds its sixth annual Winterfest by the Sea inside the Civic Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with craft vendors, food vendors and a strolling Santa.
- November 21. "Earlier than the Bird" downtown shopping runs from 8 a.m. to noon, with early-bird specials for shoppers in pajamas. The first carriage rides of the season follow from noon to 3 p.m. Note the location. These rides start at 6th and Asbury, not in front of City Hall.
- November 26. The Humane Society of Ocean City holds its annual Fast & Furriest 5K Turkey Trot on the Boardwalk on Thanksgiving morning. For details, the calendar gives 609-398-9500, extension 4, and hsocnj.org.
- November 27. Christmas in the Downtown, "Our Miracle on Asbury Avenue," runs from 2 to 5 p.m. with the merchants and the Chamber, and Santa arrives at 5. His arrival Friday evening leads straight into his first Soifer Park morning on Saturday.
There is a new shop on Asbury this year. Shore Local reported in September that Philly Love, a store focused on Philadelphia sports, opened at 838A Asbury Avenue. That puts it on the blocks the season keeps returning to.
The Boardwalk work is far from the holiday stops
Boardwalk reconstruction keeps going through the season. In the mayor's October 23 update, the city said demolition of the section from 14th to 16th Street was expected to finish that day, with materials in place and construction starting the next week. All of the holiday stops are farther north. The Music Pier sits between 8th and 9th, the Civic Center hosts Winterfest, and the parade ends at 11th Street. None of them is in the construction zone.
The deadline that falls before the loop ends
The last stop of the season comes after December 20. First Night Ocean City runs on Thursday, December 31, 2026, its 34th year. The city announced on October 9 that it opens with a 3:45 p.m. kickoff and ribbon-cutting at the Music Pier. Jitneys start running between venues at 5 p.m., two drone shows set to music fly over Carey Stadium, and fireworks launch from the Fifth Street beach at midnight.
The drone show started recently. The city's First Night notice for New Year's Eve 2024 called a Carey Stadium drone show "New this year." This is the first year the schedule includes two.
The lineup is spread across town:
- Music Pier. Pennsport String Band, then Still Surfin', a Beach Boys tribute, and Shadows of the 60s: A Tribute to Motown Super Groups.
- Ocean City High School auditorium. Ocean City Theatre Company's "Junie B. Jones," Country LIVE, and the return of Yacht Rock Gold Experience.
- Around town. The Harlem Wizards, magician Chad Juros, mentalist Dustin Dean, Dueling Pianos, 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 Ocean City Historical Museum.
The price goes up before the holiday weekends are over. On the First Night button page, admission costs $20 per person through November 30 and $25 starting December 1, with service fees included. The city also says buttons are limited and encourages buying early. That makes Thanksgiving weekend the last full weekend at the lower price, and you can buy a button while doing the loop. Buttons are sold at the City Hall Welcome Center at 861 Asbury Avenue, 9th Street entrance, which is also where the carriage rides leave from. They are also sold at the Music Pier Information Center, the Roy Gillian Welcome Center on the 9th Street causeway, and the 46th Street Welcome Center in the 4500 block of West Avenue. You can also buy online at firstnightocnj.com or by phone at 609-399-6111.
The city notes that all calendar events are subject to change. Check the Christmas Parade and First Night pages again the week of each event.
If your house is hosting family this December and the new year has you thinking about its value, Dorothy Phillips can give you a clear read before First Night. Request a Free Home Valuation and get an honest number from someone who knows Ocean City year-round.
