This past Saturday, Ocean City, New Jersey, held its 66th annual edition of Night in Venice, starting at 6 p.m. Night in Venice is Ocean City’s event of the summer, hosted every year in mid- to late July. The night consists of a boat parade starting at Longport Bridge and going to Tennessee Avenue as the boats travel past all of the houses on the bay. They shut the first few streets near the bay down for the night for traffic reasons due to the size of the event. The night also includes a fireworks display after the parade. Each year the event has a different theme, and this year it was Honoring Our Heroes, as a tribute to all of the frontline workers who truly were some of the biggest heroes in this difficult past year.

Photo courtesy of Ocean City Chamber of Commerce.

The celebration for Night in Venice is a huge part of the event itself, as many of the houses along the bay have family and friends at gatherings to celebrate the night away and watch the festivities. I, for one, have always looked forward to it, especially since I attended my first Night in Venice. I am a big fan of the parade because I have always been a huge fan of boats; seeing them all decorated and festive for the parade is such a great sight to see. I also look forward to getting together with family and friends and celebrating. If you haven’t been able to get to it in the past, I suggest you try to make your way to one in the future!

Photo courtesy of Ocean City Chamber of Commerce.

— Kevin Melnick, intern