OC’s Busker Lottery System Underway

OCEAN CITY — With the arrival of Memorial Day weekend, the new and improved ordinance adopted this spring appears to have, at least temporarily, resulted in relative peace and calm on the Boardwalk busker front.

Many street performers railed against last year’s new registration process and a handful even sued the city over the cumbersome process along with other issues in a case that is still plodding along in federal court. However, the Boardwalk Task Force last fall began systematically tackling the many issues and in March, the Mayor and Council accepted the task force recommendations after adding a few revisions of its own and the new busker ordinance went into effect on May 1.

Now, it’s fair to say a rainy, cold month of May has reduced the number of buskers performing on the Boardwalk thus far, but the arrival of Memorial Day weekend and a solid forecast for great weather is expected to test the changes.More