DELMARVA – As the annual Sea Witch Festival and Sunfest return to Delmarva, some business owners and vendors in Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City are hoping for an increase in sales from a boost from the final festival weekend of the shoulder season. I am.
Witches and fall decorations lined the streets of Rehoboth Beach when WBOC visited on Friday afternoon. Officials with the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce told WBOC that last year, about 200,000 tourists stopped by over the weekend. These city officials said they expect turnout to be similar, if not higher, this year.
All of those additional people mean additional shoppers for local businesses like Sea Finds. Owner Linda Abrams said small businesses like hers rely on weekends like the Sea Witch Festival. Abrams said sales have nearly doubled so far.
“We’ve been in business for 17 years,” Abrams said. “So we have a lot of repeat customers and they come back every year for this festival. Hopefully, it’s going to be a good three days.”
Down the Coastal Highway from Rehoboth Beach, Sunfest was in full swing in Ocean City when WBOC visited on Friday afternoon.
Ocean City officials say tens of thousands of people attend the event each year. For small business owners like Ocean Pines vendor Dana Jackson, events like Sunfest are very important. As a vendor without a traditional storefront, Jackson said the weekends help her get through shoulder season.
“Financially it’s huge,” Jackson said. “Sunfest brings a lot of people into town and gives us the opportunity to have repeat customers come back and support us as small businesses.”
Sunfest in Ocean City runs from October 24th to October 27th. Event details can be found on the town’s website.
The Rehoboth Beach Sea Witch Festival runs from October 25th to October 27th. More information about the festival can be found on the city’s website.
