1 More Day To Register For Ocean City's Night In Venice

OCEAN CITY, NJ — There is one more day left to register for the 63rd annual Night in Venice boat parade in Ocean City. The parade is set for Saturday night, July 22, 6 p.m.

The last day to register for the annual boat parade and decorated bayfront home contest is Thursday, July 20, 4 p.m. Boats and homes can be registered online at oceancityvacation.com/niv.html.

Alfonso Ribeiro has been named the Grand Marshal for the parade. Ribeiro created the memorable character of Carlton Banks opposite another teen idol, Will Smith, for six seasons of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

He will participate in a meet-and-greet on the Ocean City Music Pier from 11 a.m.-noon the day of the celebration. Tickets are $15, and a limited number are available. To purchase tickets, visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.

The optional theme for this year’s parade is “Rockin’ Through The Decades.” Boats and houses are encouraged to celebrate popular music, fashion and culture from the decades.

Anyone with a boat or anyone with a house along the bayfront parade route can participate by decorating their boat or home. For safety reasons, paddleboards and kayaks are not part of the parade.

The theme will be celebrated with performances by well-known boy band O-Town and Ryan Cabrera, and 1970’s icon Gloria Gaynor. O-Town and Cabrera will perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 21 on the Ocean City Music Pier. Gaynor joins the Pops at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, on the Music Pier to round out a Night in Venice Decades Weekend.

The parade begins near the Ocean City-Longport Bridge and travels along the bayside to Tennessee Avenue, looping in and out of lagoons along the way. The parade route does not include Snug Harbor or Glen Cove. It is free to watch at all locations except the Bayside Center.

Grandstands will be set up at street ends along the bay from Battersea Road to 16th Street and also at Tennessee Avenue. These are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Streets include: Battersea Rd., North Street, First Street, Second Street Marina, Fourth Street, Sixth Street, 11th Street, 13th Street, 15th Street, 16th Street and Tennessee Avenue.

The Bayside Center at 520 Bay Avenue will be open with a picnic area, snack food for sale and bleacher seating, as well as live entertainment. Tickets are $3 for children (12-and-under) and $7 for adults.

Gates open at 4:15 p.m. with the Good Tymes Band playing 5 p.m. until the first boats in the parade arrive. The band will resume playing after the parade. Children’s activities include crafts, games and face painting.

Tickets may be purchased by cash, check or charge at: City Hall, 861 Asbury Avenue, any day 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. No alcohol is permitted, and no parking is available. Tickets are also available online at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.

A fireworks display will also follow the parade. Fireworks will be launched from a barge in the bay north of the Ninth Street Bridge, roughly off Third Street. The best view for the fireworks is from street ends or the bayfront between the Ocean City-Longport toll bridge and 16th Street.

Free parking and shuttle service will run starting at 4 p.m. Parking will be available at:

• Ocean City Municipal Airport: 25th Street and Bay Avenue
• Soccer Field at Tennessee Avenue: Off Shelter Road
• Ocean City Community Center: 1735 Simpson Avenue

Shuttles will drop off spectators at street ends where they can watch the parade and return them to the parking lots afterward. The shuttle also drops off at the Bayside Center. The service is free and will be available until 11 p.m.

Parking restrictions begin at midnight Friday (July 21) through midnight Saturday (July 22) for the following locations:

• Both sides of Bay Avenue between 16th Street and 24th Street
• The east side of Bay Avenue between 14th Street and 16th Street.
• West 16th Street, West 17th Street and West 18th Street will have parking restrictions in place.

Parking regulations will be strictly enforced. Violators will be ticketed and in severe cases, the vehicles will be towed if public safety is affected. This is to allow for safe passage of all pedestrian and vehicle traffic and emergency vehicle access to isolated areas of the bayfront.

All pedestrians and bicyclists should use the Shared Use Bike Path on the Ninth Street Bridge and stay to the south side shoulder for viewing. No one will be allowed to bring chairs on to the bridge. At no time will persons block the free movement of the Shared Use Bike Path. No open alcoholic beverages are permitted on the bridge at any time. There will be no walking along the bridge with motor vehicle traffic. Ocean City Police will be present monitoring the bridge while the parade is in progress for assistance.

Attached images were provided by Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen. Information for this post was provided by Bergen and the Ocean City Police Department.