OCEAN CITY — Boardwalk Rock is coming back loud. After a year off, the hard rock and metal festival returns to the Ocean City beachfront May 14-16, 2027, with Iron Maiden, Korn and Bad Omens at the top of a 43-act bill that reads like a road trip through four decades of heavy music.
Organizer C3 Presents unveiled the lineup Oct. 20, and it does not let up after the headliners. Alice in Chains, Judas Priest, Marilyn Manson, Breaking Benjamin, Good Charlotte, The Prodigy and Cypress Hill are all on the bill, along with Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Bullet for My Valentine, Gwar and Tesla.
For Southern Maryland rock fans, it is the biggest metal weekend on the state’s coast, a straight shot across the Bay Bridge and down Route 50. Fans who want the cheapest seats will need to move fast: a presale opens Thursday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. Eastern.
Three days, three moods
Each day has its own flavor, according to the day-by-day lineup posted on the festival’s website.
Friday, May 14 is a nu-metal and ’90s throwback night. Korn headlines, backed by Breaking Benjamin, The Prodigy, Cypress Hill and Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. The undercard digs deep: Clutch, Sevendust, Theory of a Deadman, Filter, All Them Witches, Corrosion of Conformity, Eve 6, Local H, Nonpoint and Soil.
Saturday, May 15 belongs to the newer generation of heavy music. Bad Omens headline, with Good Charlotte, Marilyn Manson, Motionless in White, Bullet for My Valentine and Poppy. Hard rock veterans Tesla and Buckcherry share the day with Superheaven, Drowning Pool, Sponge, Showing Teeth, Tetrarch and Asava.
Sunday, May 16 is the heavyweight finale. Iron Maiden closes the festival, billed under its “Run For Your Lives” banner, with Alice in Chains and Judas Priest right behind. Sleeping With Sirens, The Pretty Reckless, Down, The Warning, Loathe, The Hu, Apocalyptica, Gwar, Dirty Honey, The Flys and Mac Sabbath round out the day.
Iron Maiden and Judas Priest on the same Sunday puts two pillars of British heavy metal on one Ocean City stage, a pairing that alone could fill hotel rooms up and down Coastal Highway.
How to get tickets
The presale starts Thursday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. Eastern and offers the lowest-priced general admission tickets for one hour, according to C3 Presents. The general on-sale follows at 11 a.m. with whatever tickets remain. Fans can sign up for a presale passcode on the festival website. Prices had not been posted as of Oct. 20.
Ticket options run from basic to all-in:
- General Admission: one-day and three-day passes.
- GA+: adds a private lounge with shade and seating, air-conditioned restrooms, concierge service, free water and a private bar.
- VIP: dedicated viewing areas at every stage, including an elevated platform at the Main Stage, two VIP lounges with private bars, air-conditioned restrooms, and lockers and phone charging for rent.
- Platinum: front-of-stage viewing at all stages, two Platinum lounges with free full-service bars and all-day dining, free lockers and charging, and a dedicated entry lane.
Full ticket details are at boardwalkrockfest.com/tickets.
More than music
The festival grounds include the Jolly Roger at the Pier amusement park, so fans can catch a ride between sets, and festival food vendors will be on site. Just outside, the Ocean City Boardwalk’s restaurants, bars and shops are open for business, giving the weekend a beach-town feel that few rock festivals can match.
A comeback after a lost year
The 2027 lineup marks the festival’s return after a one-year pause. Boardwalk Rock debuted in May 2025 with Def Leppard and Nickelback among its headliners, after Motley Crue, originally announced as a headliner, withdrew. In November 2025, Ocean City officials said “a variety of challenges” would keep the festival from returning in 2026, and the town’s business development director, Tom Perlozzo, said the town would work with C3 Presents on a stronger 2027 event, according to WBOC.
Judging by the lineup, C3 delivered on that promise. Boardwalk Rock is the spring entry in C3’s Ocean City festival trio, alongside Oceans Calling and Country Calling, which the Chronicle covered this fall, from Country Calling’s opening day to the festival season wrap-up after a nor’easter.
Fans can get announcements first by joining the festival’s email list at boardwalkrockfest.com and following Boardwalk Rock on Instagram, TikTok, X and Facebook. The countdown to presale is on: Thursday, 10 a.m.
