July 21, 2026
Provided Courtesy/Ocean City, N.J.
Ocean City's Night in Venice returns Saturday with decorated boats, fireworks and this year's "Stars, Stripes and Christmas Lights" theme.
One of the Jersey Shore's biggest summer traditions returns Saturday when Night in Venice brings decorated boats, fireworks and thousands of spectators to Ocean City's bayfront.
Now in its 71st year, the annual celebration features a "Stars, Stripes and Christmas Lights" theme honoring America's 250th anniversary with a Christmas-in-July twist. Here's what to know before heading to Ocean City.
Former Phillies All-Star John Kruk and actor Randy Quaid will serve as this year's grand marshals. Quaid, best known for playing Cousin Eddie in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," fits right in with the holiday theme.
Santa Claus also will join the parade, along with patriotic figures including Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, George Washington, Martha Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
The boat parade begins at 6:30 p.m. near the Ocean City-Longport toll bridge before winding through the back bays and lagoons to Tennessee Avenue.
Most spectators line the bay at public street ends, where free grandstands will be available on a first-come, first-served basis between Battersea Road and Tennessee Avenue.
If you'd rather bring your own chairs, you can also watch from other public bayfront street ends or the bayside park at Second Street.
The Ninth Street Bridge is another popular viewing spot, though chairs aren't permitted on the bridge.
Free shuttle service begins at 4 p.m. from the Ocean City Municipal Airport, the Tennessee Avenue soccer fields and the Ocean City Community Center.
The shuttles drop riders near the parade route and return them to the parking lots afterward. If you're driving onto the island, expect heavier-than-usual traffic before and after the parade. Parking restrictions will be in effect in parts of the bayfront area throughout the day, and illegally parked vehicles may be ticketed or towed.
Once the last boats pass, fireworks will launch from a barge in the bay north of the Ninth Street Bridge. The display is expected to begin between 9 and 9:30 p.m., depending on when the parade ends.
The best viewing spots are along the bayfront between the Ocean City-Longport toll bridge and 16th Street.
