OC Air Show one of town's biggest money makers

With the council's approval, the 2017 OC Air Show is set to take flight June 17-18, with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels headlining.

Passed by the Ocean City Council at a public meeting on Monday, Feb. 6, the 10th annual OC Air Show received unanimous approval from the council. Along with the Blue Angels, performers will include the USMC MV-22 Osprey and the the GEICO Skytypers.

Documents related to past Air Show weekends proved the event's massive popularity and an economic powerhouse for the town.

A total of 225,250 people are estimated to attend the event, accounting for 22,460 room nights, according to a review document.

While the town itself is not allowed to directly profit from the event, tax revenue shows a massive net gain. The Town of Ocean City is pledged to spend a total of $20,300 on the event with $13,500 from the Department of Public Works and $6,800 from the Ocean City Police Department.

Blue Angels visit OC, Wallops to prep for 2017 air show

Meanwhile, tax revenue comes in at a whopping $348,731, which is broken down to $312,442 from lodging, $11,728 from food and beverage and $24,561 from amusement.

Profit to local businesses during the Air Show weekend also paints it as one of the premier summer weekends for Ocean City. A total of $10,516,895 is estimated to come in during the two-day span; $6,943,198 from lodging, $2,345,688 from food and beverage and $1,228,060 from amusement.

Prior to the 2016 Air Show, Ocean City Special Events Coordinator Frank Miller spelled new requirements for the show to manager Bryan Lilley. Included in the expenses are a Red Cross cooling station, the reserve officers on the north and south end of the event and rescue platforms on 15th and 17th streets. The OC Air Show will also be required to supply its own security for the event.

Set up for the event will begin on Wednesday, June 14. Tickets for the drop zone are $19 per day for adults, $13 for children ages 6-12.