Bike Parade participants show their patriotism.
Ocean City’s Independence Day celebration will take place on Thursday, July 4, and include bike parades, music, family contests and fireworks to cap off the summer holiday.
The fireworks will be launched from a barge in the ocean near the Music Pier at 9 p.m. and will be best viewed from the beach and Boardwalk between Fifth Street and 14th Street.
The fun starts with two bike parades at opposite ends of the island. Everybody is invited to participate, and thousands usually do. Both parades start at 10 a.m., and organizers encourage riders to dress themselves and their bicycles in the spirit of the holiday.
Registration for the Gardens Civic Association Bike Parade starts at 9 a.m. in the parking lot at the foot of the Ocean City-Longport toll bridge. The route makes its way to East Atlantic Boulevard with a finish near Beach Road.
Registration for the South Ocean City Improvement Association Bike Parade is 9 a.m. at 40th Street and Asbury Avenue. This parade ends at the playground at 52nd Street and Haven Avenue.
Ocean City Theatre Company’s Spotlight Performers Show Choir will present “A Star Spangled Salute” in front of the Music Pier (Boardwalk between Eighth Street and Ninth Street) at 6 p.m. The show will be followed by a kite-flying competition on the adjacent beach.
Registration for the free contest starts at 6 p.m. and includes categories of Most Patriotic, Largest, Smallest, Youngest Flyer, Highest Flying, Best Home-Made, Best Stunt Flyer and Oldest Flyer.
Bike Parade participants show their patriotism.
To celebrate the Fourth and the upcoming release (August 14) of the “The Angry Birds Movie 2,” the characters Red and Silver will visit the Boardwalk in front of the Music Pier from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 4 and again from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. July 5. Kids are invited to join these “Angry Birds” for a special meet-and-greet.
The Tidal Wave Band will perform in front of the Music Pier from 7:30 p.m. until the fireworks begin. The band will resume after the display and play until 10:30 p.m.
The holiday week begins on Tuesday (July 2) with a performance of “Schoolhouse Rock Live.” The Emmy Award-winning 1970s Saturday morning cartoon series that taught history, grammar, math and more through clever songs is not only making a small-screen comeback, it's lighting up stages everywhere – from school multi-purpose rooms to university and regional theatres all around the country.
The Ocean City Theatre Company will present this kids’ show at 10:30 a.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. For tickets ($10 to $12), visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice call 609 399-6111 or stop by the Music Pier Box Office, City Hall Welcome Center (861 Asbury Avenue) or the Roy Gillian Welcome Center (on the Route 52 causeway).
On Wednesday (July 3) at the Music Pier, the city’s “Wacky Wednesday” celebration will include a good old-fashioned apple and cherry pie-eating contest at 10:30 a.m. The contest is free and open to all ages, but participation is limited to the first 150. For more information, call 609-399-6111.
Music lovers can join Maestro Vince Lee on opening night for the Ocean City Pops. Their “Star Spangled Salute” will celebrate the birth of our nation with heart-warming favorites, patriotic classics and a grand salute to our troops. Show is 7:30 p.m. July 3 at the Ocean City Music Pier. For tickets ($20 to $25), visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice call 609 399-6111 or stop by the Music Pier Box Office, City Hall Welcome Center (861 Asbury Avenue) or the Roy Gillian Welcome Center (on the Route 52 causeway).
REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 100TH ANNUAL OCEAN CITY BABY PARADE
The Ocean City Baby Parade returns for the 110th time on Thursday, August 8.
The annual tradition offers a chance for parents to show off Ocean City’s newest generation. The parade features children (ages 10 and under) cruising the Ocean City Boardwalk in themed strollers, wagons and floats. It starts at Sixth Street with children finishing at the Music Pier (Moorlyn Terrace) all other entries continuing to 14th Street.
Online registration is now open for Baby Parade entries: www.ocnj.us/babyparade.
Sisters Shannon, 1, and Kendall Donnelly, of Egg Harbor Township, were crowd and judge pleasers in Ocean City's Baby Parade in 2018.
Participants also can sign up at the Welcome Center on the ground floor of City Hall at Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue. Entry fee is $5 per child, and the registration deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, August 6.
Entries are open for bands, dance groups, cheer squads, special guests, community groups and businesses to participate.
ALSO COMING UP
“FROM JERSEY TO BROADWAY” 
The season's first Wacky Wednesday specialty will be a pie-eating contest.
