Boardwalk Rock Festival Parking and Getting There
Fri May 14 to Sun May 16, 2027, Ocean City Inlet Beach, 809 South Atlantic Ave, Ocean City, MD 21842. Rates checked Oct 21, 2026, seasonal, so recheck before travel.
Boardwalk Rock Festival parking does not work like normal Ocean City parking. There is no parking for the festival from N. Division Street south to the inlet, so the Inlet Lot is not an option on festival days. Drivers use three named lots: the West Ocean City Park and Ride, the Convention Center lot, and the 100th Street lot. Riders use the Beach Bus.
This page rests on the festival help center and the Town of Ocean City parking and Beach Bus pages, checked Oct 21, 2026. The 2027 rate bands and the 2027 special-event list are not yet published. There is no festival parking pass to buy: parking is town parking, first come, first served. Below: lots, costs, payment, buses, rideshare, walk and bike times, city routes, plane paths, and the exit plan.
No parking at the inlet on festival days
The festival states the rule plainly: there are no parking options for the festival from N. Division Street south to the inlet. The gates sit along the Boardwalk between N. Division and S. Division streets.
Search results may offer a parking pass for this festival. None exists in any official source. A pass for the festival itself is a ticket: see the Boardwalk Rock tickets and passes page.
The three designated festival lots
If you searched for parking near Ocean City Inlet, the festival answer is these three lots. Buses run to and from the festival from each lot, and ADA parking is at all town lots.
| Lot | Address | Parking cost |
|---|---|---|
| West Ocean City Park and Ride | 12848 Ocean Gateway | Free |
| Convention Center lot | 4001 Coastal Highway | Free, over 1,200 spots |
| 100th Street Municipal Lot | 10267 Coastal Highway | $28 per day, $140 per week, per car |
All addresses are in Ocean City, MD 21842, and all three lots take no bookings. Costs checked Oct 21, 2026, from Town of Ocean City sources.
Park and Ride rules: no overnight parking for large vehicles or trailers between 3 AM and 6 AM, and no sleeping in a vehicle. The Convention Center free figure comes from the Town tourism site's venue page, not a festival-day rule, so recheck it. At 100th Street, the hourly rate is $3.50, seven days a week, and a week pass promises no space if the lot fills.
What parking costs on festival weekend
Boardwalk Rock Festival parking costs least at the Park and Ride, where parking is free. Next is 100th Street, at $28 a day. Street and town lot parking costs more by the hour.
The ocean city inlet parking cost question misleads here: the Inlet Lot sets no festival price, the named lots do. May 14 to 16, 2027 fall on Friday to Sunday, and on current Town bands the April 1 to May 21 window sets street and town lot parking at $2.50 to $3.50 per hour Friday to Sunday, free Monday to Thursday. Rates checked Oct 21, 2026, seasonal, recheck: current bands, not a 2027 promise.
One cost is still open. The town adds $1.50 per hour in named special events, and fines double then. Boardwalk Rock held that status in 2025, under Town Resolution 2025-10. No source checked on Oct 21, 2026 confirms it for 2027, so this page adds the $1.50 to no total. Budget for that risk. The street and lot fine is $50, before any event doubling.
Why the Inlet Lot is not your festival plan
Most pages on ocean city inlet parking name the Hugh T. Cropper Inlet Lot first. It sits at the festival address, with 1,200 spaces and 35 accessible spaces, inside the no-parking zone, and off the named list. Guides for Oceans Calling, a sister festival at this site, record the Inlet Lot closed on festival days.
For a non-festival trip, its normal rates apply. The first 30 minutes are free. From April 1 to May 21, parking is free Monday to Thursday and $3.50 per hour Friday to Sunday. From May 22 to Sep 30, it is $4.50 per hour each day. Rates checked Oct 21, 2026, seasonal, recheck.
How to pay for parking
Ocean City parking is pay by plate. Use the ParkMobile app or the Passport Parking app: enter the zone number, set your time, pick your vehicle by plate, pay and go. The fee is $0.60 by card and $0.25 by eWallet, checked Oct 21, 2026, from the Town of Ocean City parking page.
With no app, pay by QR code, text or phone, as the sign states. You can add time in the app later, and paying at one lot covers no other lot. In a signed accessible space, the first hour is free.
Beach Bus, Park and Ride shuttle and hotel shuttles
The Ocean City Beach Bus runs from the South Division Street Transit Station to the 144th Street Transit Station, along Coastal Highway. All town buses are accessible. The fare is a $4 Ride-All-Day pass, in exact cash, or with a pre-paid bus pass from City Hall. Half fare is $2 for seniors 65 and over, disabled riders and Medicare card holders. Kids 42 inches tall and under, ADA card holders and town senior pass holders ride free. The $4 pass covers transfer to Park and Ride buses. Fares checked Oct 21, 2026.
For the festival, the bus runs an express route with fewer stops than normal. No spring or summer 2027 timetable is out yet, so this page states no festival weekend bus times.
The West Ocean City shuttle links the Park and Ride lot to the festival: standard service is free, the special-event shuttle is $4 with a Ride-All-Day pass, and which applies on festival days is not yet confirmed. Hotel shuttles, where a hotel runs one, drop and pick up at Somerset Street, two blocks from the gates, and are not the Beach Bus. For a hotel on a bus line, see the hotels near Ocean City Inlet guide.
Rideshare drop-off and pick-up
The official drop-off and pick-up point is 409 Baltimore Avenue, the 4th Street Municipal Parking Lot. The walk to the gates takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
The festival warns that demand is very high after the show, with few drivers out. Leave early, or walk the boardwalk and let the rush pass before you book.
Walking and biking to the inlet
Bike parking sits off the boardwalk between 2nd Street and 3rd Street, and you bring your own lock. Times are to the main north gate, from the festival help center, checked Oct 21, 2026.
| Start point | Walk | Bike |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Street | 15 min | 5 min |
| 20th Street | 30 min | 8 min |
| 27th Street, north end | About 40 min, about 2 miles | Not stated in source |
| 30th Street | 45 min | 10 min |
| 40th Street | 55 min | 13 min |
| West Ocean City Park and Ride | 20 min | 8 min |
Driving in from Baltimore, DC, Philadelphia and New York
The plan is the same from each city: park at a named lot, then ride or walk in.
From Baltimore and Washington, DC
The festival names both cities as a drive of a few hours. The route the sources support is US-50 east, across the Bay Bridge, to Ocean City. The Park and Ride sits on that road, at 12848 Ocean Gateway, the first named lot you reach.
From Philadelphia
Philadelphia is another drive origin the festival names, but it publishes no route or drive time for the trip. The plan from the top of this page still holds: a named lot first, then bus or walk in.
From New York City
The festival does not publish a route or drive time from New York City. Your two paths are the ones on this page: fly to BWI and continue from there, or drive in and use the same three named lots.
Getting here without a car, or by plane
By plane via BWI
The festival puts BWI, Baltimore/Washington International Airport, at about a 2.5 hour drive from Ocean City. That is a drive time from the airport, not a flight time. From BWI, your options are a rental car, or the BayRunner Shuttle, which runs daily from BWI to the Eastern Shore, Ocean City last, and works by booking. Book direct with BayRunner for its fares and times.
By plane via Salisbury (SBY)
The festival puts SBY, Salisbury Regional Airport, at about a 30 minute drive from Ocean City. Its ground transport was not confirmed from the airport, so arrange your onward ride before you fly.
The no-car chain in town
In town, the Beach Bus covers the town for $4 a day. The Park and Ride is also a Shore Transit link point: Shore Transit covers the run to the South Division Street station when the Beach Bus is not running.
Leaving after the show
After the show, northbound Beach Bus riders board on Baltimore Avenue, between Wicomico Street and Talbot Street. The West Ocean City shuttle boards at the South End Transit Station, on South Division Street. Hotel shuttles pick up at Somerset Street, and rideshare picks up at 409 Baltimore Avenue. Give the first hour after the last set some slack.
Two short answers
There is no Boardwalk Rock parking pass to buy: parking is town parking, first come, first served, paid at the lot or in the app. And on the question how much is parking at Ocean City Inlet during the festival, the answer is the named lots above.
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