Holiday Events Continue Through 'First Day'

Ocean City will continue to roll out the holiday entertainment for residents and visitors with a variety of events through Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. After opening the show last weekend, the Ocean City Theatre Company will give three more performances of “Lights, Camera, Christmas: the 2019 Holiday Spectacular” at the Ocean City Music Pier. A cast of professional singers and dancers present a song-and-dance tribute to the holidays. The family-friendly show features classic songs, special guests, toe-tapping numbers and special effects that will kindle the holiday spirit. Performances will be:

• 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20
• 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec 21
• 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec 22

Admission is $18 for adults and $15 for children under 12. Purchase tickets at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, by calling 609-399-6111, or in-person at the City Hall Welcome Center (9th Street and Asbury Avenue) or the Roy Gillian Welcome Center (on the causeway leading to Ninth Street). https://youtu.be/Wl8ODJhgMrE Video provided by City of Ocean City Saturday and Sunday will provide the last opportunities for children to visit with Santa Claus before he heads back to the North Pole to get ready for the big day. He will meet with families during Breakfast With Santa 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at these restaurants:

• Saturday, Dec. 21: Yianni’s Cafe (841 Asbury Avenue, 609-391-1113)
• Sunday, Dec. 22: Jon & Patty’s Coffee Bar and Bistro (637 Asbury Avenue, 609-399-3377)

Santa will be available to pose for holiday family photos in an Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguard boat noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 21 and 22) outside the Ocean City Music Pier (Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace). Photos are $10 each. Free horse-drawn carriage rides on downtown Asbury Avenue will be available noon to 3 p.m. on Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 and again on New Year’s Day. Board in front of City Hall at Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue. Free horse and carriage rides are part of the holiday celebration in downtown Ocean City. The Ocean City Tabernacle invites all to a family dinner, a musical program by the Son Club after-school program, a Christmas carol sing-along, professional family Christmas photos, face-painting for the kids and more. The free event is 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19. For more information, call 609-399-1915 or click the “Family Christmas Celebration” banner at octabernacle.org. All-inclusive admission buttons for Ocean City’s popular and family-friendly First Night New Year’s Eve celebration are on sale now. They can be purchased at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice or by calling 609-399-6111. You can also purchase tickets in person by visiting the Roy Gillian Welcome Center on the Ninth Street causeway, City Hall’s Welcome Center at 861 Asbury Avenue or the Welcome Center at the Ocean City Music Pier (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday). First Night includes more than 70 shows and activities at venues throughout Ocean City. Visit firstnightocnj.com for more information. First Night features family-friendly entertainment. Pre-register for the annual 1 p.m. First Day 5K Boardwalk run at firstnightocnj.com, get ready for the First Dip in the Atlantic Ocean at 2 p.m. adjacent to the Ocean City Music Pier, and take advantage of bargains in downtown Ocean City’s First Day Shopping Extravaganza. Tickets go on sale Wednesday for 2020 Jackie Evancho Show: After performing two sold-out shows in 2018, singing sensation Jackie Evancho will return to Ocean City to perform with the Ocean City Pops at the Ocean City Music Pier on May 9, 2020. Tickets for the show go on sale Wednesday (Dec. 18, 2019) and will be available at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, by calling 609-399-6111 or at the City Hall or Roy Gillian welcome centers. Since she first dazzled American television audiences at age 10 – gaining global recognition with her debut on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” – Evancho has released a string of platinum and gold albums with sales of more than 3 million in the U.S. All seven of Jackie’s albums have hit No. 1 on the Billboard Classical chart.