This story has been updated with additional information about traffic changes.
Dust off your cowboy boots and wrangle up your closest friends —the inaugural Country Calling Festival is here at long last.
Here's everything you need to know about the music festival set to celebrate all things Wild West, including when and where your favorite country music artists will perform, traffic changes, the weather forecast and more.
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The inauguralCountry Calling Festival, promising to blend catchy country tunes with coastal vibes, is coming to Ocean City, Maryland, this week from Oct. 4-5, at the Ocean City Inlet and Boardwalk.
Chart-topping country music artists Eric Church and Jelly Roll will headline the first night on Friday, Oct. 4, with fellow headliners Tyler Childers and Lainey Wilson following suit on Saturday, Oct. 5.
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Friday, Oct. 4:
Will Jones will take the Boot stage first on Friday, Oct. 4, from 12:30-1 p.m., followed by Alexandra Kay from 1:45-2:30 p.m., NEEDTOBREATHE from 3:15-4:15 p.m., Warren Zeiders from 5:15-6:15 p.m. and Jelly Roll from 7:15-8:30 p.m. Eric Church will close out the evening from 9:30-11 p.m.
Nearby, on the Scoot stage, Ocean City, Md., native Jimmy Charles is set to perform from 1-1:45 p.m., followed by Ella Langley from 2:30-3:15 p.m., The Red Clay Strays from 4:15-5:15 p.m. and Clint Black from 6:15-7:15 p.m. Last up is Riley Green from 8:30-9:30 p.m.
Finally, on the Boogie stage, country music star Hueston will take the Boogie stage from 1:45-2:30 p.m., followed by Kylie Morgan from 3:15-4:15 p.m., and Martina McBride from 5:15-6:15 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5:
Waylon Wyatt will kick off the second and final day of the festival on the Boot stage on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 12:30-1 p.m., followed by Alana Springsteen from 1:45-2:30 p.m., Parmalee from 3:15-4:15 p.m., Dwight Yoakam from 5:15-6:15 p.m. and Lainey Wilson from 7:15-8:30 p.m. Tyler Childers will close out the evening from 9:30-11 p.m.
Nearby, on the Scoot stage, Aiden Canfield will perform from 1-1:45 p.m., followed by Nikki Lane from 2:30-3:15 p.m., Tanya Tucker from 4:15-5:15 p.m. and Brothers Osborne from 6:15-7:15 p.m. Then, Bailey Zimmerman will take the stage last from 8:30-9:30 p.m.
Finally, big country music star Drayton Farley will take the Boogie stage from 1:45-2:30 p.m., followed by Dasha from 3:15-4:15 p.m., and Paul Cauthen from 5:15-6:15 p.m.
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The 25+ country music artists will perform sets on three separate stages —the Boot, Scoot and Boogie stages on the beach and inlet parking lot —over the span of the two-day, C3-produced festival.
In addition, festivalgoers will have the chance to sample bites from food vendors and local Boardwalk businesses, as well as enjoy Jolly Roger at the Pier's amusement park rides, games and more.
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Traffic changes to accommodate huge Country Calling crowd
To accommodate the huge crowd expected for Oceans Calling, the Ocean City Police Department will implement an alternate traffic pattern in the downtown area in anticipation of increased pedestrian congestion each evening, the town of Ocean City said in a news release.
The alternate traffic pattern will begin around 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday to assist with the overall traffic flow, OC Beach Buses and pedestrians trying to leave after the festival. Here is what residents and guests can expect in the evening hours:
- Traffic will be prohibited from traveling south of N. Division Street.
- The south turn lane off the US Route 50 bridge onto Philadelphia Avenue will be restricted to only emergency vehicles, mass transit vehicles and residents.
- Vehicles will be diverted onto N. Division Street and then north on Baltimore Avenue.
- A traffic pattern will be established to direct all southbound traffic on St. Louis Avenue to 2nd Street, then towards Philadelphia Avenue.
- Southbound traffic on St. Louis Avenue will be restricted to emergency vehicles, residents, employees and patrons of downtown businesses.
- Northbound traffic on Baltimore Avenue from S. Division Street to Talbot Street will be reduced to one lane for vehicle traffic. The left lane will be designated for vehicle traffic, the middle lane will be utilized to stage mass transit vehicles for passenger arrival and the right lane will be designated as a safety lane.
The traffic pattern will resume normal after the downtown area is cleared of festival goers. The OC Beach Bus will operate in a reduced stop, express service mode to expedite crowd movement during and after the festival. Certain stops will be inactive during the three-day weekend.
Riders needing special mobility assistance may coordinate pickups at inactive stops by calling Dispatch at 410-723-1606 and may coordinate drop-offs directly with their driver, the release stated.
For a map depicting the stops that will be in use and for additional travel details during the festival, see https://support.countrycallingfestival.com/hc/en-us/articles/24640732669204-How-do-I-get-to-the-festival.
Are tickets still available for Ocean City's Oceans Calling?
Country Calling Festival tickets are sold out, but a waiting list and verified resale options are available at www.countrycallingfestival.com/tickets. Tickets initially went on sale on March 22.
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What is the weather forecast?
Good news for Country Calling Festival attendees —according to The Weather Channel's 10-day weather forecast, it will be sunshine all around all weekend long.
Friday's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies, a high temperature of 72 degrees and light winds. Likewise, Saturday calls for mostly sunny skies and a high temperature of 74 degrees.
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Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas atominzola@delmarvanow.com.
