OCEAN CITY, Md. - The Oceans Calling Festival has canceled the entire festival after strong winds and beach erosion plague the site.
"Tides, floods, and high winds have prevented us from safely continuing the build of Oceans Calling Festival," a post reads. "Following the advice of the National Weather Service and in cooperation with local public officials, we must make the difficult decision to cancel Oceans Calling 2026."
For some festivalgoers, the cancellation came after traveling hundreds of miles to Ocean City for the three-day event.
"Devastating. Devastating. Absolute heartbreak," said Timothy Regan, who traveled from Chicago.
Regan said the drive took about 15 hours and that it took them two days to reach Ocean City. Despite the disappointment, he acknowledged that the weather was beyond anyone's control.
"Heartbreak like I there's nothing else I could we could say. I mean then we're going to have to drive home and it's just going to be tears the entire way home," Regan said.
The weekend cancellation comes after organizers previously canceled all performances scheduled for Friday because conditions prevented crews from safely completing construction of the festival site.
The back-to-back cancellations mark another weather-related setback for the Ocean City music festival, which has dealt with challenging conditions several times since it was first announced.
A group of friends who traveled from Tennessee shared similar feelings as Regan. They attended Oceans Calling Festival last year and had hoped to return for another weekend of music.
"We're really bummed," said Jessica French. We get it, safety first, but it's still so bummed."
"We were here last year and we had a great time and we wanted to come back this year," said Libby Farmer.
Crews were also seen beginning to take down equipment at the festival site as rising water continued to affect the site.
History of Cancellations
The inaugural Oceans Calling Festival was scheduled to take place in 2022, but was canceled because of conditions associated with Hurricane Ian. The festival returned and took place in 2023. Weather again affected the festival in 2024, when heavy rain delayed performances on the first day. Rain also affected the festival weekend in 2025, though the event went forward.
In 2026, organizers initially canceled Friday’s concerts after severe weather and beach erosion affected preparations at the festival site.
Refunds
Organizers say all ticket types purchased directly through Front Gate Tickets will be fully and automatically refunded in as little as 30 days to the original method of payment.
