Volleyball Olympians, boxing matches between police and firefighters, a sand-sculpting competition, free concerts on the beach and daredevil plane pilots are just some of the non-gambling attractions Atlantic City has planned for this summer.
The events are part of the strategy to attract more visitors with events that don’t involve gambling, and most of them are free. The effort is seen as crucial for the future as gambling revenue continues to decline amid ever-increasing competition from new casinos in the northeastern U.S.
The AVP pro beach volleyball tour will return to Atlantic City on Sept. 5-7. In 2013, players including New Jersey native Ryan Doherty, Olympians Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross, Jen Kessy, Sean Rosenthal, Jake Gibb, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, and three-time Manhattan Beach Open champion Whitney Pavlik competed.
The Fire On the Water festival will include the police vs. fire boxing match and a firefighter skills competition on May 17-18. In the Firefighter Combat Challenge, pairs of competitors dressed in full gear will race head to head as they simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting by performing a linked series of five tasks, including climbing a five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-sized, 175-pound “victim.” It will be held at Gardiner’s Basin.
On June 29, the Atlantic City Challenge Triathlon will be held. More than 1,100 athletes have registered to take on the 140.6 mile race course that begins and ends in Atlantic City.
Country music star Blake Shelton is playing for free on the beach on July 31, and Lady Antebellum is planned for Aug. 3. The 60,000 tickets available for the two shows have already been claimed.
Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian suggested in May the city build a permanent outdoor stage on one of its piers to host multiple concerts each year.
“Let’s take a look at what happens this summer, and maybe we should be in the business of building a permanent stage on one of our piers instead of getting all excited about one or two events,” he says.
The Do AC Sand Sculpting World Cup is running now through July 6 on the Missouri Avenue beach, featuring 20 top sand sculptors from around the world.
A massive July 4 fireworks show that will be visible from anywhere on the beach or boardwalk in planned.
The Atlantic City Air Show featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be held Aug. 13.
The Miss America pageant will be back in Atlantic City from Sept. 9-14, and a wine tasting event Sept. 27-28 will cap off the month. It will feature 100 wines presented at multiple destinations along a one-mile stretch of the boardwalk between the Steel Pier and the Tropicana Casino and Resort.
Information on all the summer events can be found at doatlanticcity.com.
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