Country Calling Festival
- Dates
- Oct 2 to 3, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Ocean City Inlet & Beach
- Price
- $174 to $279Payment plan available
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 23, 2026
Country Calling Festival returns to Ocean City, MD, Oct 2 to 3, 2026, with Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, plus 21 more. Froligo tracks the confirmed lineup, current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
Country Calling is a two-day country-music festival on the beach at the Ocean City Inlet, Maryland, staged by the producers of the rock/pop Oceans Calling festival on an adjacent weekend at the same site. More than 25 artists play three stages two on the sand and one along the boardwalk with boardwalk restaurants and the Jolly Roger pier rides inside the footprint. Its draw is big-name country headliners in a walkable beach-town setting
What people love
Attendee reaction is mixed-to-positive. Festivalgoers enjoy the beachfront setting, the lineup and improving organization, describing 'plenty of food options' and a better-run event than the debut year. Recurring complaints center on cost (steep ticket and on-site beer prices), uneven stage sound often blamed on ocean wind, dense nighttime crowds, and getting in and out shuttle buses run but jam up after headliners, so many recommend biking or the West Ocean City park-and-ride
Last time around (2025)
The most recent held edition ran in early October 2025 at the Ocean City Inlet. Attendees reported logistics were smoother than the 2024 debut better phone service and a 'well put together' site though some stages still had sound problems and nighttime crowds were heavy. (The festival debuted in 2024.)
Listen
Tap an artist to play them right here.
No official playlist linked yet. Find Country Calling Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
Getting there
How do I get to Country Calling Festival?
By car
Most people drive to Country Calling Festival. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
By bus & public transit
Greyhound and FlixBus both sell tickets to Ocean City, MD from Washington DC (Union Station) and Baltimore a realistic budget option for attendees routing through the DC/Baltimore area rather than a direct BWI-terminal connection. verify the exact 2026 stop location and dates when booking
Book / info →Shore Transit's fixed routes 432 ('Salisbury / Ocean City / Pocomoke') and 452 ('Salisbury / Pocomoke / Ocean City') connect Salisbury with Ocean City, including the West Ocean City Park and Ride which is exactly where the festival's own $4 West Ocean City shuttle (and a 20-minute walk/8-minute bike ride per the festival FAQ) picks up for the venue. Caveat for fly-ins: the route originates in Salisbury proper, not at the SBY terminal
Book / info →Festival shuttle
BayRunner runs a daily scheduled shuttle between BWI Marshall Airport / BWI Rail Station and the West Ocean City Park and Ride (12848 Ocean Gateway, eastbound side of Rt. 50 just before the Harry Kelly bridge) the same lot the festival's own $4 West Ocean City shuttle serves, making this a genuine fly-in-without-a-car chain: BWI → BayRunner → Park and Ride → festival shuttle or 20-min walk. Five daily departures from Ocean City (8:10 AM-4:10 PM) and seven from BWI (8:40 AM-8:40 PM); arrive 15 minutes before departure. no festival- or venue-operated airport shuttle exists
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare
Uber and Lyft both operate at SBY the airport has a designated 'TNC/Rideshares' passenger-pickup area outside baggage claim (follow the Ground Transportation signs), and Uber publishes an SBY airport-pickup page. The ~30-mile run east on US-50 to downtown Ocean City is the simplest door-to-door option from this airport. the festival's own Rideshare article says '2026 information is not yet available.'
Book / info →Rideshare from BWI to Ocean City exists but is a ~2.5-hour, ~130-road-mile trip economically a last resort versus the BayRunner shuttle or a rental car. Within Ocean City itself Uber/Lyft operate normally
Book / info →Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
No on site parking. Use nearby lots or transit. Cost There is NO parking at the venue itself the festival's own parking article states 'there are no parking options for the festival from N. Division Street south to the inlet' (the venue sits on the Inlet beach in that closed zone). Official options, all with ADA parking: (1) West Ocean City Park and Ride, 12848 Ocean Gateway served by the festival-weekend West Ocean City shuttle at the special-event $4 Ride-All-Day fare (exact cash or prepaid City bus pass), or a 20-min walk / 8-min bike ride per the festival FAQ; return shuttles from the South End Transit Station (South Division St.). (2) Ocean City Convention Center lot, 4001 Coastal Highway the town lists free daily (not overnight) parking here off-event; Beach Bus express route connects down Coastal Highway. (3) 100th Street Municipal Lot, 10267 Coastal Highway $10/day with ParkMobile/credit-card payment during the Memorial Day-Labor Day paid season; Two paid third-party water shuttles also bypass bridge traffic from West Ocean City: Sea Rocket's festival boat shuttle, Sunset Marina to Dorchester St ~3 blocks from the entrance (from $14.99/trip, searocket.com/ocean-city/music-festival-shuttles/), and OC Bay Hopper's water shuttle/taxi ($15 one-way/$25 round-trip shuttle pricing, book.ocbayhopper.com). Prepay via ParkMobile (pay-on-arrival app used across Town of Ocean City municipal parking not an advance-reservation requirement).
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire
No rail reaches Ocean City, the BWI shuttle runs only ~5x/day, and SBY-airport transit requires a rideshare hop plus a low-frequency bus so car hire is a genuinely practical option for fly-in attendees from either airport (SBY has on-airport rental desks, ~30 min drive; BWI ~2.5h). Drivers should plan on the West Ocean City Park and Ride + $4 shuttle, since the blocks around the venue are closed to festival parking
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
The venue has its own page with capacity, accessibility and parking.
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Country Calling Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Hotels nearby 5
507 Atlantic Avenue (5th St & Boardwalk) roughly a 10-minute boardwalk walk to the festival entrances at N./S. Division St, inside the festival FAQ's own '15 min walk from 10th St' marker
Link coming soon1109 Atlantic Avenue (12th & Boardwalk) ~15-20 min boardwalk walk to the venue per the festival FAQ's walk-time table (10th St = 15 min)
Link coming soon2 15th Street, on the boardwalk ~20 min walk to the venue (between the festival FAQ's 10th St = 15 min and 20th St = 30 min walk markers), or a short Beach Bus hop
Link coming soon~20-25 min walk to the venue per the festival FAQ's walk-time table
Link coming soon4801 Coastal Highway (48th St, bayside) NOT walkable (~4 mi north), but the hotel's own site documents a Beach Bus stop directly outside serving the Inlet festivals, and it sits next door to Seacrets; a good example of the mid-town + $4 Ride-All-Day bus pattern
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
Ocean City is a resort town with a very large condo/short-term-rental inventory, and the festival's own FAQ explicitly points attendees to homestays: 'Check with your favorite Homestay provider (e.g. Airbnb, Vrbo) for the best options in the area.' Early October is post-Labor Day shoulder season, so base rates run below summer peak but the town has stacked Oceans Calling (Sep 25-27) and Country Calling (Oct 2-3) into back-to-back 2026 weekends specifically to fill lodging, so treat a festival-weekend premium as plausible
Search Airbnb →Ocean City itself is a fully-developed barrier-island resort strip with no on-island Hipcamp-style private-land camping; the festival also explicitly bans on-site/overnight camping. The real nearby camping cluster is the Assateague Island area ~9 miles south (NPS National Seashore and Maryland state-park campgrounds, plus private campgrounds and Hipcamp-listed farm/land stays inland in Worcester County) a drive-in alternative for van/tent travelers rather than a walk-to-the-show option. Maryland state-level Hipcamp directory linked rather than a guessed town-specific slug, per prior-draft precedent
Search Hipcamp →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
Country Calling publishes a full accessibility article in its help centre covering ADA parking and entry, the Access Center, wristbands, companions, viewing areas, restrooms and ASL. No separate ADA ticket is required. The festival describes itself as wheelchair accessible but warns it takes place across a large outdoor site with great distances between activities and attractions, outdoors and across city streets and pathways, with some travel over natural terrain and terrain designed for motor vehicles, and mud if it rains.
Read the full notes
Accessible parking is available at all municipal parking lots, and there are no festival parking options from N. Division Street south to the inlet. The ADA pickup and drop off location is 101 Worcester St, with a specially designated accessible entry lane at the Worcester St entrance directly across the street from it.
Accessible public transport is provided by the Ocean City Beach Bus system, which has ADA compliant ramps or lifts and securement areas, and eligible riders can book the Ocean City ADA Para-Transit van on 410-723-1606. The main Access Center is at the Guest Services tent inside the main boardwalk entrance between N.
Division Street and 1st Street, with a second at the S Division St entrance. Accessibility wristbands are free, valid all weekend, need no medical documentation and are issued on self identification. Each guest credentialed to the ASL Viewing Pit or Accessible Viewing Platforms may receive one companion wristband, but companions still need their own valid festival ticket and the wristband does not admit them.
Accessible viewing areas are first come first served and can reach capacity. Accessible seating in premium areas requires the matching premium ticket for both guest and companion. Accessible restrooms are throughout the grounds, with more near designated accessible viewing platforms, sometimes wristband gated.
Manual and power wheelchairs and three and four wheeled mobility scooters are permitted and can be charged at the Access Center. The festival does not provide wheelchair rentals, scooter rentals, personal care attendants, push assistance, golf cart transportation or personal escort services.
No quiet or sensory space is listed. Accessibility questions go to [email protected]
Country Calling offers American Sign Language interpretation for select performances. Requests go through an Effective Communication Request Form with a stated deadline of September 2, 2026, and availability is not guaranteed for later requests.
Read the full notes
The schedule of interpreted performances is posted on the schedule page. Guests register at the Access Center for an ASL wristband, and that registration process requires the use of American Sign Language. The wristband allows access to designated ASL viewing areas during interpreted performances only, first come first served, with one companion per guest.
ASL services are generally not provided between scheduled interpreted performances, and the ASL viewing area is not open when none are scheduled. Guests may bring their own interpreter, who must also hold a valid paid festival ticket.
Assisted Listening Devices are available at the Access Center on a first come first served basis with limited availability, and large print and Braille materials are offered when available
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Checked 2026-09-03 · source
Pricing
Price history and tiers
Got fresher info? Tell us, a real person checks every tip, and we love fresh info.