Guide to 2026 First Night and First Day in Ocean City
WHAT: Ocean City marks the 33rd anniversary of its popular family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration this year, and as many as 10,000 are expected to attend. First Night offers more than 70 activities and entertainment programs at 20 different venues throughout town. The lineup includes something to satisfy every taste and age group. Fireworks ring in the new year at midnight. The fun continues on New Year’s Day with a 5-kilometer run on the Boardwalk and the wildly popular First Plunge in the Atlantic Ocean.
WHEN: First Night events run 4 p.m. to midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. The First Day 5K starts at 1 p.m. and the First Plunge goes off at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
ADMISSION BUTTONS: Buttons ($25) are good for all events. Children under age 2 are free. Buttons are on sale now.
- Online: firstnightocnj.com (through 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025; after that time, you must purchase in person).
- By phone: 609-399-6111.
- At the City Hall Welcome Center at 861 Asbury Avenue (9th Street entrance): 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding Dec. 25); 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 31).
- At the Roy Gillian Welcome Center (9th Street causeway): 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
- At the 46th Street Welcome Center (4500 block of West Avenue): 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Sundays.
- Ocean City Music Pier Welcome Center (Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace): 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Button sales and will-call pickup will be at the City Hall Welcome Center 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on the day of the event (Dec. 31).
HIGHLIGHTS: Headline entertainment at the Ocean City Music Pier this year will include a tribute to the music of the Journey and also “Motor City: the Motown Revue.” The return of perennial favorites like outdoor ice-skating, a magic show, a mentalist, the Harlem Wizards, and a variety of other shows also highlight the entertainment lineup. Ocean City will reunite Elton John and Billy Joel at the Ocean City High School auditorium with separate tributes. A drone light show in the sky over Carey Stadium synced to music is scheduled.
FULL SCHEDULE: The full schedule of events and activities and a printable grid is available at firstnightocnj.com.
PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION: All municipal parking lots and metered parking spots are free. Jitneys will provide free transportation from 5 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. for button-holders, operating continuously between all venues starting at the Ocean City Transportation Center (Ninth Street and Haven Avenue) and Seventh Street Parking Lot (Seventh Street and Central Ave.). The parking lot at Fifth Street and Boardwalk will be closed to allow for the setup and launch of fireworks.
FIREWORKS: A fireworks display (weather permitting) will be launched from the beach at Fifth Street at midnight on Dec. 31. The display will best be viewed from the beach or boardwalk in the blocks surrounding Fifth Street.
RAIN POLICY: There will be no rain date for the fireworks display or any other First Night event. Every effort will be made to launch the fireworks even in rain. Any potential cancellation would be made at the discretion of the state fire marshal and based on wind direction and other factors that could affect public safety. A new drone light show will go off subject to favorable wind and visibility conditions (show times could be changed). The First Day 5K Run/Walk and the First Plunge in the Atlantic Ocean will go off rain or shine. Download the OCNJ app (search “Ocean City Vacation, NJ”) to receive live notifications and updates during First Night. Updates also will be posted to firstnightocnj.com and ocnj.us.
DINING: Food and drink will be for sale at Ocean City High School (Sack O’ Subs), Ocean City Community Center (at the cafe) and the Civic Center.
KICKOFF: Everybody is invited to the Ocean City Music Pier at 3:45 p.m. for the official ribbon-cutting to open the 33rd anniversary of the festivities.
OTHER FUN ACTIVITIES: Stop by the Music Pier to see the First Night ice sculpture. Interactive photo booths will be set up in the Ocean City High School cafeteria, the Community Center and the Civic Center.
HISTORY: 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. The first celebration in Ocean City in 1992 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. Through the years, the event has been sustained by the selfless dedication of volunteers, board members and sponsors.
SPONSORS: City of Ocean City, Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Cape May County Division of Culture and Heritage (Funding for First Night has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners through the Cape May County Division of Culture & Heritage Re-Grant Program), McMahon Insurance Agency, Ocean City Free Public Library, Pete Madden of Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty, Uncle Bill’s Pancake House and Atlantic City Electric..
FIRST DAY AT THE BEACH
BOARDWALK RUN/WALK: A 5-kilometer run/walk starts at 1 p.m. in front of the Ocean City Music Pier. Race-day registration begins 11 a.m. at the Music Pier at Moorlyn Terrace. All pre-registered runners are guaranteed an OCNJ First Day beach towel (celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026), and the entry fee is just $25 through Dec. 24. Race-day registration ($35) will open at 11 a.m. Jan. 1 at the Music Pier. For more information and to register, visit ocnj.us/race-events.
FIRST PLUNGE: The 5K is followed by the annual “First Dip” in which hundreds of brave beachgoers take their first swim of the year in the icy Atlantic Ocean. The plunge starts at 2 p.m. on Jan. 1 on the beach adjacent to the Music Pier (on the Eighth Street side). Participants should register online (at ocnj.us/FirstDayPlunge) or inside the Music Pier before heading to the beach on Jan. 1. Registration is free, but all participants must sign a waiver. “First Day at the Beach” shirts will be on sale at the Music Pier.
SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA: There will be an all-day shopping extravaganza with discounts at stores on Asbury Avenue and the boardwalk from 5th to 14th Streets.
