OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City's Miss Night in Venice Charity competition is returning this year with seven contestants raising money for 13 selected local charities over five weeks.
The annual event, which dates to 1996, has raised more than $1 million for local charities through participant fundraising, according to the event information.
Contestants, ages 15 to 25, will spend five weeks collecting monetary donations. The young woman who brings in the highest total will be crowned Miss Night in Venice 2026 during a ceremony at the Ocean City Tabernacle on Monday, July 20.
The winner and her court will then ride in the 2026 Night in Venice Boat Parade on Saturday, July 25. This year's parade theme is “Stars and Stripes and Christmas Lights.”
In addition to the traditional Miss Night in Venice crowning, the City of Ocean City is sponsoring two new pageants this year, Little Miss Night in Venice and Junior Miss Night in Venice. The announcement describes both as inaugural pageants.
Miss Night in Venice has long been tied to one of Ocean City's signature summer traditions. The titleholder's appearance in the Night in Venice Boat Parade connects the charity contest to the waterfront celebration that draws local participation each year.
People looking for more information about the Miss Night in Venice Charity can email nightinvenicecommit@gmail.com or visit missnightinvenice.com/contact/. Information about the contest, the new pageants and related events is available through those channels ahead of the July 20 crowning ceremony and the July 25 boat parade.
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