Ocean City prepares to host 150th anniversary of founding

OCEAN CITY, Md. – Starting on January 1st 2025, Ocean City will spend the whole year celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding. The year will be 150 days of celebration 150 days of celebration.

“You know, a century and a half is quite an accomplishment for a little fishing village,” said Director of Tourism and Business Development Tom Perlozzo. He continued, saying you won’t be able to miss it: “You’re going to see it on the busses, you’re going to see it on our digital displays. It’s going to be in our ads, it’s going to be on social media. It’s going to be incorporated in pretty much everything you see in 2025.”

For residents and visitors, that means new and expanded events all year long, “Celebrations with music and, you know, all different kinds of entertainment, plus some new things out there. Balloon glow on the beach, we might be looking at laser shows, drone shows, concerts weekly throughout the summer.”

Susan Jones, Executive Director of the Ocean City Hotel Motel Restaurant Association said they’re encouraging local establishments to lean into the celebration with promotions to help draw more people into town. “For example, book four nights get $150 off of your stay, or book three nights, maybe you get $150 beverage credit…they could also collaborate and partner with each other, so maybe a hotel pairs with an attraction that pairs with a restaurant to create one big anniversary package.”

Perlozzo said that as they approach 150 years of growth, Ocean City continues to look toward the future: “As we stretch the season, we’re going to come strategically more of a year round community. We want to keep our, you know, our businesses open, our product available and, you know, continue to grow as a destination. That’s the only way we’re going to do it. There’s only so many people that can visit here in the summer, and in order to expand our economy, we need to look outside those three months.”