I lived in Dover, Delaware for a decade where they held the Firefly Music Festival and out of the many years they held that festival I was always too overwhelmed or pregnant or had some reason to never attend. I missed out on some of my favorite artists, including EMINEM. It’ll be a lifetime regret, but being in the early stages of pregnancy, nauseous and an after midnight start-time with a one-year-old at home; there was actually no way.

Several years later, a new music festival was announced in Ocean City, Maryland (Oceans Calling) and their headliner in 2022 was Dave Matthews Band, my husband’s favorite band. This pulled us right out of our slump and we bought VIP tickets to go, with my parents locked in to help us with the girls. SIKE! Hurricane Ian had other plans and ultimately the festival got canceled.

Unfortunately Dave was not one of the featured bands the following year, but we didn’t want to miss out so we were ready to lock in VIP tickets again, planning to make this our ten year anniversary gift to each other. With headliners like Alanis Morrisette, Noah Kahn, Weezer and The Lumineers we were excited to spend a weekend, hanging out with friends and celebrating surviving ten years of moving, military life, job changes and raising babies!

We have been two years now and learned a lot on how to get the best experience out of your weekend, achieving the best view of the bands you want to see, where to stay during your visit, how to transport to the festival and how to be best prepared for an east-coast, ocean-side FALL festival!

Are VIP or Platinum tickets worth it?

Short answer: YES.

Long answer: Also, YES.

General Admission tickets are great if you are there with a big group of friends for the weekend and want to have a great time sitting on the beach and listening to great music. Another benefit to general admission is if there is a band you are DYING to see, you can get that center-stage view close up (if you are willing to wait all day and wear a diaper situation). If you can go GA or not at all, obviously you are having a better time than anyone who didn’t get tickets or couldn’t go, but for me personally, if you really want the best experience out of the day or the weekend, go for the VIP or Platinum tickets if you can!

VIP

There are a few upgraded amenities from previous years. You get everything a GA ticket gets you plus:

• *NEW: Exclusive seated viewing platform at Sea Bright Stage
• *NEW: Access to dedicated viewing areas (at all stages, just behind Platinum)
• Unlimited access to VIP Lounges at Sea Bright Stage and Rockville Stage with shade and relaxed seating. This is nice when you are between bands and need a place to just hang out.
• Upgraded, air-conditioned restrooms. When you see the GA bathroom lines, this alone will make the ticket worth it. Having shorter bathroom lines is key for us women.
• Private bar with drinks for purchase. Plus, complimentary water. Again, not having to go back to the main areas for drinks, food or water is a big plus. It will cut down on any time you spend away from the bands or wasting time waiting in super long lines.
• Lockers and mobile charging units for rent, and a dedicated festival merch store in VIP Lounge at Sea Bright Stage. The weather will either be 85 and sunny or 50 and raining. Possibly in the same day. Welcome to the east coast! Being able to rent a locker to store extra clothes and items to not carry around all day makes your day way more enjoyable!

The key to music festivals is getting to see as many of the bands you want to see, and ideally, as close as possible (my husband and I have different views on how close we need to be – ha!). VIP allows you to spend more time at each concert without sacrificing stage view at the next one. We bought VIP for the 2023 Oceans Calling Festival and had the best time.

Platinum

This is a splurge and is not for everyone, but if you can afford to do it and enjoy a more all-inclusive experience, then this ticket package is for you! You will have access to all the amenities from GA and VIP, PLUS:

• Exclusive front-of-stage viewing – available at all stages. VIP is great, but Platinum viewing is just ahead of VIP and with less tickets sold, you can walk up to almost any concert last minute and still get a great view of the artists you want to see, most of the time front row!
• Exclusive on-stage viewing. Available at Sea Bright Stage. Pending artist approval. Headliner shows available. I was able to do this for Young the Giant. Admittedly, I didn’t know who they were but my friends did and it was really cool to see the band from above and getting to see what they see out into the crowd. However, I couldn’t hear as well and it was more fun (for me) to be out in the crowd. This might be personal preference!
• Unlimited access to Platinum Lounges at Sea Bright Stage and Rockville Stage.
• Complimentary full-service bar at both lounges. Plus, coffee service at Sea Bright lounge. Think all-inclusive resort style. No need to worry about budgeting for food and drinks all weekend. It’s all included – just don’t forget to tip your bartenders!
• Complimentary all-day dining in Platinum Lounge at Sea Bright Stage. Enjoy fest-curated lunch, dinner and snacks in the convenience of the Platinum Lounge. Again, I feel this pays for itself. Not need to think about food. We usually tried to time getting back to Sea Bright around meal times. The food was all really good and kept us going all day.
• Complimentary lockers and mobile charging units. Store your stuff and stay charged. First-come, first-served. Located at Sea Bright Stage. The great thing about the Platinum lockers is if you are there for the weekend, you get one locker for the whole time you’re there instead of having to get a different one every day, which helped remember where all my stuff was!
• Access to dedicated Platinum entrance lane into festival.
• Dedicated checkout lane at festival store. Beat the line and get out with your goods. This can be super helpful if you want merch during those peak times. Especially if the weather goes and changes on you!
• Exclusive festival gift. Redeemable at Platinum Concierge. Last year we got a small yeti tumbler that we used all weekend to keep our drinks cold. Still use them, poolside!

For us, the splurge and all this ticket included made it worthwhile for a great experience, dancing front row to some of our favorite artists!

Where To Stay

Ocean City is a well-loved beach town, but don’t forget that it is also home to senior week and many bachelorette parties. Make sure you are looking at reviews of both hotels and Airbnb’s to get the accommodations that you would like and book EARLY! Oceans Calling this year also had a combo ticket price that included accommodations. Their website also had exclusive spots and rates so in the future definitely check those out.

The first year we stayed about 6 miles from the festival at an Airbnb that was mediocre at best. We brought our bikes to ride to the festival each day to avoid waiting for buses, which I highly recommend, but I would say this was a little far. The silver lining is we did not have to hit the gym after biking 12 miles each day and walking around from concert to concert for 10 hours!

We learned our lesson and found a hotel 2.5 miles from the festival the next year, which was a much easier situation, especially after getting rained out at Blink 182 and having to walk our bikes halfway back on night one.

Wherever you stay; make sure you book early, you know how far away it is and how you are getting to and from the festival and read the reviews! You might even need to swim!

Transportation

There are lots of options of getting to and from the festival.

Check out this page to read in detail all the options the festival recommends!

Driving and parking is not ideal. While you might be able to find a spot when trying to get to the festival, the car traffic after the last concert lets out is a nightmare. Just know you will be sitting in traffic for a while!

The Beach Bus is another good option of getting to the festival but can also be a nightmare trying to catch one after the last concert lets out, which is when most people are trying to get home.

Some hotels might offer shuttle services to and from the festival which would be another great option! Ask your hotel before booking if that is a service they offer!

Walking/Biking is 100% my best recommendation. If you don’t own your own bike or don’t have a bike rack to transport one, there are several shops in Ocean City that are offering weekend bike rentals for $75. We biked every time we went and other than the one night it flooded, we were able to get in and out of the festival quickly. There are plenty of bike racks on the boardwalk before entering the festival that you can utilize, just don’t forget to bring a lock! We usually would bike until the end of the boardwalk to avoid the busy streets and then only had 10 blocks until we were back to our hotel.

Don’t Sleep on The Cooking Shows

Jason Biggs hosts the cooking shows which are usually in the early afternoon and have become more popular! Robert Irvine has been the big name chef who leads it off and they have brought in O.A.R in for the shows as well. You never know who will show up on that stage so don’t sleep on these slots and go check them out!

getting around the festival

This is the fun part! Once each day’s lineups come out, we would plan out our day, trying to get the most out of our experience. The tricky part is when two bands you want to see are playing at the same time or back to back from Rockville Stage to Sea Bright.

For example, on Friday this year, Nelly and The Fray are playing at the same time. For some this might be an easy decision but these are both artists I would want to see. I would probably go see Nelly at 5pm (while also grabbing dinner if you are a platinum ticket holder), then head over to Rockville to see O.A.R (must see!!) and then stay in the area to see Cake at the Carousel stage at 7pm before heading back to SeaBright and post up for Green Day. Some of you might want to stop at Rockville for Lenny Kravitz, and that’s okay too!

The best part about festivals is really making the most out of YOUR experience. You might only care about one band and that’s where you’re hanging for the day or you really want to see them all, but are okay if that means not having close viewing.

Earlier in the day it is fun to hang around the Carousel Stage and Rockville because you can hear both and go back and forth without too much walking unless there is a band at Sea Bright you want to see. If you have a platinum ticket this is where you want to maybe start at Sea Bright, get lunch and drinks and then head over to Rockville area for a few hours.

Wristbands & What To Bring

Wristbands are meant to last all weekend so make sure you can comfortably wear them without it falling off and losing it or allowing it to get too tight. Don’t forget to upload your card so you don’t have to worry about carrying a card around all weekend!

This festival is on the east coast during hurricane season. We’ve had summer-like days and then the next day it is 50 and raining. To make the most out of your experience, obviously check the weather 24-48 hours before leaving, but below I have a list of my must-haves for this festival!

*Links are affiliate amazon links where I earn commission*

• External charger (THIS ONE is my favorite!)
• Fully charged phone/camera
• Crossbody Bag or Backpack
• Rain jacket
• Rain boots – and if it’s a rainy weekend a backup of both of these items!!
• Sunscreen
• Hat – they sell really cute Oceans Calling ones!
• Sunglasses
• Chapstick
• Electrolytes – stay hydrated between drinks! It’s a long day! LMNT are my favorite!
• Layered clothing!

This festival has a more alternative/nostalgic feel so the fashion is much more relaxed than other festivals. Of course, you have those who go all in and I say, more power to you! I went for the band tee/jeans/sneaks kinda look as you will see and I was very happy! Do you!

Sing At the Top of Your Lungs

We decided to not attend this year after moving last year, needing to financially go into savings vs spending mode, but to all of you who are able to attend: sing at the top of your lungs! Enjoy the day, the crazy weather and the amazing bands. Take a chance on bands you’ve never heard of because those have been some of my favorite discoveries!

Who are you most looking forward to this year? I’m so sad to miss out on making more memories with friends as well as seeing Good Charlotte, Green Day and Noah Kahn; but will live vicariously through all of you who are attending!

Thanks for stopping in! Let’s stay connected and see the world together!