Sundaes in the Park & Fireworks

Northside Park, at the northern tip of Ocean City’s developed barrier island at 125th Street, sits on the western edge of Assawoman Bay in a position that makes it the most scenic public park on the Maryland coastal strand. The bay widens to the north of the park, and the sunsets over the mainland wetland edge produce the color range that Ocean City’s oceanfront, facing east, never achieves. Sundaes in the Park and Fireworks runs every Sunday from June 8 through August 31, 2026, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m., with free live concerts beginning at 7:00 p.m. featuring regional pop and beach acts, free ice cream sundaes from local vendors, and a fireworks display over the bay at 9:00 p.m. Admission is free throughout the evening. Arrive early to claim preferred lawn positions before the crowd consolidates around 8:00 p.m.

The concert lineup rotates week to week through regional and beach bands whose set lists cover the range of summer music that Ocean City’s multigenerational audience expects from a Sunday evening in a resort community at its peak. The fireworks display, launching from the bay side rather than the ocean side, provides a reflection on the water that the oceanfront cannot offer, and the viewing angle from Northside Park’s lawn positions visitors directly beneath the burst rather than at the perpendicular distance that the main Ocean City boardwalk requires. Face painting, interactive games, and children’s entertainment run through the pre-fireworks hours, giving families with younger children structured activity between the concert’s start and the night’s finale.

Ocean City and Assawoman Bay

Ocean City is a 10-mile barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Assawoman Bay, and the bay side of the island — running along the western edge of downtown’s hotel and condominium corridor — carries a character entirely different from the boardwalk beach it is separated from by the width of a city block. The bay’s shallow, warm water in summer supports crabbing from the public docks adjacent to Northside Park, a recreational tradition that produces genuinely edible results for patient families who bring a drop net and chicken necks. Assateague Island National Seashore, seven miles south across the Ocean City Inlet, is home to the Chincoteague wild pony herd on its Maryland section, visible from the Assateague Beach parking areas and from the National Park Service’s North Ocean City hiking trail that parallels the barrier island’s southern reach.

If You’re Going with Kids
The Northside Park lawn configuration allows children to move freely between the interactive entertainment and the concert area without the confinement that stadium seating imposes. The ice cream sundae vendors set up on the park’s perimeter, providing the logical transition from children’s activities to pre-fireworks settling. Bring a blanket and position yourself on the bay-facing lawn at least 30 minutes before the 9:00 p.m. fireworks for the clearest viewing angle with the water reflection visible beneath the burst.

Nearby Accommodations

Ocean City’s lodging ranges from the boardwalk resort hotel corridor to condominium rentals on the bay side of the island with direct Assawoman Bay access. Northside Park is at the northern end of the island near 125th Street, within easy walking or bike distance of the hotel properties north of 90th Street. Look on Lake.com for vacation rental properties near Ocean City and the Assawoman Bay waterfront that position families for both the Sunday evening events and the broader beach recreation of the Maryland coast.