The opening day of Maryland’s biggest music festival is the most recent casualty of a wave of extreme weather affecting outdoor stages this summer.
A nor’easter bringing heavy rain, strong winds and high surf to the East Coast prompted organizers of Oceans Calling to cancel Friday performances, which included the Dave Matthews Band, Hootie and the Blowfish and Ludacris. Organizers cited beach erosion at the festival site as a major cause for the decision in a statement posted Thursday.
Social media posts showed flooding on at least one of the festival’s stages in Ocean City.
Workers are trying to protect the beach in Ocean City ahead of the Oceans Calling Festival as the coastline continues to get battered by large waves and strong winds. Video by Hall’s Restaurant Memories pic.twitter.com/JzjO1nmJC6
— Southern Maryland Weather Center (@SOMDWXCENTER) September 23, 2026
Oceans Calling, which sold out this year with a capacity of 55,000 attendees for each of its three days, is expected to move forward as planned on Saturday and Sunday, organizers said.
Dangerous weather has disrupted other festivals this season.
In June, New York’s Governors Ball was cut short because of a hail thunderstorm with 60 mph winds. In July, smoke from Canadian wildfires postponed or canceled concerts by the Black Keys, John Mellencamp and Mavis Staples. And Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Festival was so extremely affected by severe storms for the last two years that its organizers said it will not run in 2027.
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