Oceans Calling 2025, you did it again! Now that we have a couple of years of Oceans Calling music festivals under our belts, Explore OC is proud to see that the concerts are getting better year after year, continuing to surpass expectations with incredible lineups, drawing crowds of 50,000+ people from all 50 states, and even overseas to the town we’re proud to share.
Day 1
First and foremost, the weather on the Friday of Oceans Calling was a paid actor. Anytime there’s a non-rainy day during the festival is a reason to celebrate! While the festival setup was relatively consistent with past years’, the Carousel stage, presented by Mike’s Amazing, received an upgrade. There was no longer a tent over the stage, which restricted viewing and darkened the overall space. Flamingo Coast, the Boardwalk’s newest restaurant/rooftop bar/speakeasy, took the place of Tony’s Pizza within the festival grounds, but was well-visited and gave great views of the event as a whole.
Now to the artists—with such a stacked lineup, festival goers were on the ball to get from stage to stage with a good spot for their favorites.
Jason Biggs hosted the chef demonstrations again this year, kicking off day one with Chef Antonia Lofaso making a homemade pasta lobster dish. Then, one of Explore OC’s new friends, BEL, took the Rockville stage with a set that matched the vibe.
BEL told Explore OC in her pre-festival interview, “My music is very much perfect for the beach, perfect for driving with the windows down. So, I think [the festival’s] a great fit. I think it's going to be really fun.”
Many local attendees were very excited to see Ballyhoo! on the lineup at the 1:45 pm slot, a band that has a large following in Ocean City, MD, with their “Maryland beach rock” style.
The 502’s were another band that felt right at home on the beach, even if it wasn’t their hometown of Orlando, Florida. The 5-person group has been deemed the “happiest band on earth” by their fans for their beach-folk vibe and definitely got the crowd screaming and moving to their popular songs like Something’s Gonna Go Our Way and songs from their newly released album, Easy Street.
When we caught up with them ahead of the festival, they told us they were most excited about two things: playing on the beach and digging into some OCMD seafood. Judging by the energy, they nailed the first part, and probably crushed the second after the set. Listen to the full interview here!
Nostalgia began hitting hard with Nelly on stage, taking the crowd for a ride. He even sported Oceans Calling merch in a cut-off tank top with this year’s lineup on the back.
The crowds continue to grow, splitting time between stages for The Black Crowes and Cake, but O.A.R. and Lenny Kravitz got their own set times before the night ended with Green Day.
Electric is the only word for Green Day’s performance. From the barricade to the back of the beach, fireworks lit up the sky while fans belted hits like American Idiot and Holiday. The band seemed to be having just as much fun as the crowd! One of those sets you’ll be bragging about being at for years.
Day 2
After a picture-perfect Friday, Saturday brought the kind of steady rain that could’ve been a buzzkill anywhere else. But in Ocean City, it turned into part of the experience. Saturday was wet, but it wasn’t a tropical storm! The Oceans Calling hoodie is getting sold a ton, Boardwalk businesses like Quiet Storm are being utilized to buy rain ponchos, and indoor spots like Purple Moose gave fans a breather before heading back out.
Some of the openers on Day 2 included Annapolis natives, Bumpin Uglies, who have gained inspiration for their songs from enjoying summers in Ocean City, MD, along with performances by Wheatus, a classic, and Natasha Bedingfield. If you haven’t seen videos circling social media of the magical performance by Bedingfield, find it right away! The rain poured as she sang, “release your inhibitions, feel the rain on your skin,” and the whole crowd went wild. Truly a cathartic moment!
Saturday was also a good time for festival goers to explore everything the grounds had to offer, especially the covered areas. This included everything from Jolly Roger carousel rides to the Dogfishhead Airstream, White Claw Shore Club, and many more vendors to explore.
One of the highlights of Oceans Calling every year is O.A.R. performances… but not just O.A.R.! The O.A.R. and Friends set is always a crowd pleaser, and this year included some of these iconic friends:
- Jason Biggs
- Benji Madden (Good Charlotte)
- Andrew McMahon (Jack’s Mannequin)
- G. Love
- Rachel Ana Dobken
- DJ Jazzy Jeff
As the sun set on another busy day of music and amusements, Good Charlotte got the crowd headbanging, and Vampire Weekend—decked out in their rain gear—had them fired up for the Day 2 headliner’s second Ocean Calling appearance.
Noah Kahan didn’t let a little rain stop his energy! As he mentioned in his set, the last time he was in Ocean City, MD, he brought the weather with him then, too. But his fans did not seem to mind one bit, with a chorus of backup singers singing the Stick Season album songs, and were happy to watch Noah on the Sea Bright stage.
Day 3
The sun is shining again for Day 3 of the festival! Sore feet and yesterday’s rain didn’t deter the crowd from enjoying their Sunday to the fullest. Oceans Calling merchandise is often worn by patrons on the last day, like a badge of honor, as fans made the most of the rides, the food, and every last moment. Favorite food vendors like Get Baked Stuffed Pretzels, Island Noodles, and Pizza Nova stayed busy fueling the fun.
The grounds started to fill in the late afternoon, screaming from the top of their lungs, “What’s going on?” with the 4 Non Blondes, who we have now seen in person and can confirm are not blondes.
DEVO was another fan favorite of the day. The band members wore yellow jumpsuits and their iconic Energy Dome hats. It was wonderful to see DEVO’s music resonating with festival goers of all ages.
Michelle Branch brought everything we’ve ever wanted to the stage with classic early 2000s nostalgia rippling through every note. Then O.A.R. brought more friends to the Rockville Stage, named for their hometown of Rockville, MD. This time, the Goo Goo Dolls were one of the friends that surprised the crowds and sang their hit song Iris with 50,000 backup singers.
Although we weren’t in Beverly Hills, a beautiful sunset and Weezer performing on the Sea Bright stage was where we wanted to be. Although Vance Joy and his ukulele did not disappoint from the other side of the grounds at the Carousel stage!
The setlist for Train was a full-on sing-along, appealing to every age range attending the festival. They artfully covered many popular songs like Lose Control by Teddy Swims and Hey Jude by The Beatles, but also made sure to include their own classics like Hey Soul Sister, and Drive By.
As Fall Out Boy took the stage to end the weekend, the crowd was truly thankful for the memories of Oceans Calling, because they were great!
Three days. Dozens of acts. One ocean backdrop. Oceans Calling delivered again, proving why this festival is the cornerstone of Ocean City’s growing music scene.
For more coverage from the festival, check out Explore OC’s Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to relive the highlights, or feel like you were really there!
Modal title