Storm cancels weekend festivals
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The gist
A nor'easter forced Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland to cancel its Friday opening day.
Weekend festivals across the East Coast are being canceled, moved or rescheduled.
Background
A powerful nor'easter is forecast to bring significant impacts to the East Coast from the Carolinas to New England, with offshore winds of up to 60 mph predicted for Long Island. The first weekend of fall is a busy one for outdoor events, leaving numerous festivals at risk. Organizers cited unsafe conditions — including beach erosion in Ocean City that made it impossible to finish building stages and tents — as the reason for cancellations.
How it unfolded
- Sep 22, 2026Fox Forecast Center said Boston appears to be the focal point for the storm at this time.
- Sep 24, 2026Oceans Calling Festival announced Friday's first day of the three-day event in Ocean City, Maryland was canceled due to expected rough weather; organizers said beach erosion made it impossible to safely finish building stages and tents.
- Sep 24, 2026High winds at the Oceanfront prompted Neptune Festival officials to move several activities to the Virginia Beach Convention Center and suspend all Boardwalk weekend activities Friday, while continuing select outdoor events and canceling others.
- Sep 24, 2026Several events were canceled or delayed across Connecticut ahead of the weekend coastal storm, and organizers behind many Long Island events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday began canceling, postponing or rescheduling.
- Sep 25, 2026The nor'easter forced cancellation of the Oceans Calling concert at Ocean City Inlet and the entire weekend festival; Springfest did not open as expected. Neptune Festival organizers further altered plans but stressed they are not canceling the event.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Neptune Festival president and CEO Kit Chope said the priority is the safety of everyone participating in Boardwalk Weekend, and that the team worked to preserve as much of the weekend as possible.
- Official
- Neptune Festival director Melanie Gazzolo said it is physically impossible to set up a tent on the Boardwalk right now because the wind is extremely powerful.
- Organizers
- Greenport Maritime Festival organizers said making the decision now gives residents, businesses, vendors, sponsors, volunteers, visitors and participating organizations time to adjust while preserving the full festival weekend.
- Organizers
- Oceans Calling Festival organizers said that despite extraordinary efforts by production, site, safety teams and city staff, continued weather including beach erosion made it impossible to safely complete the build.
Still unverified
The exact track of the storm remains uncertain, so which cities will see the most severe impacts is yet to be determined.