Dave Matthews Band
The amphitheater institution — three decades of virtuosic jam-rock and a fanbase that plans vacations around it, no two setlists alike.
Oceans Calling 2026 Lineup
Three days on the Ocean City boardwalk — the songs you grew up on, played where the pier meets the Atlantic.
About Oceans Calling 2026
Oceans Calling turns the Ocean City boardwalk into three days of radio-dial time travel: stages beside the pier's Ferris wheel, the Atlantic over your shoulder, and a bill built almost entirely of songs you already know every word to. The 2026 edition doubles down on the formula — Dave Matthews Band, Twenty One Pilots, Gwen Stefani, and a Mumford & Sons closing set up top, with the '90s and 2000s (Third Eye Blind, Matchbox Twenty, Hootie, Violent Femmes, Dashboard Confessional) running underneath. It's less a discovery festival than a 40,000-person beach singalong — and on that score, nothing else on the East Coast touches it.
Expect alt-rock, pop-rock, rock and roots rock across 39 acts.
The headliners
- Dave Matthews Band — The amphitheater institution — three decades of virtuosic jam-rock and a fanbase that plans vacations around it, no two setlists alike.
- Hootie & the Blowfish — 'Cracked Rear View' forever — Darius Rucker and the gang's easygoing roots-rock reunion, good-natured hits played exactly as remembered.
- Twenty One Pilots — Genre-agnostic arena duo — rap, ukulele, and existential dread with a devoted Clique, lore deep enough for a wiki.
- Gwen Stefani — No Doubt's voice and a solo-pop era of her own — 'Hollaback Girl' on a boardwalk, as intended, with ska-era deep cuts if you're lucky.
- Mumford & Sons — The banjo-stomp arena kings returned — communal, hymn-sized folk-rock built for a beach at dusk, 'I Will Wait' on cue.
- Matchbox Twenty — Rob Thomas's hit factory — '3AM' to 'Unwell,' the sound of every late-'90s radio dial, played by a band tighter than the nostalgia requires.
Up-and-comers to catch early
- Cassandra Coleman — American Idol alum with an ethereal, aching voice.
- GoldFord — Gravel-and-honey soul-folk — 'Walk With Me' warmth.
- King Stingray — Yolŋu surf-rock from northeast Arnhem Land — joyous bilingual anthems.
- Nat Myers — Korean-American country-blues revivalist — National steel guitar and dust-bowl holler.
Other acts worth planning around
- My Morning Jacket — Louisville's reverb-cathedral builders — 'One Big Holiday' is a religious experience live.
- Violent Femmes — 'Blister in the Sun' and the strangest great American songbook.
- Liz Phair — Exile in Guyville rewired indie rock's rules — blunt, brilliant, foundational.
- Corinne Bailey Rae — 'Put Your Records On' warmth and a fearless experimental streak since.
- Dashboard Confessional — Emo's original singalong leader — 'Hands Down' screamed back by thousands.
- Ludacris — Atlanta's fastest wit — twenty years of hits with a showman's grin.
- Cory Wong — Vulfpeck's rhythm-guitar machine — impossibly tight funk with horns.
The lineup by day
- Friday, September 25: Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Ludacris, O.A.R., Yellowcard, Shaggy + 8 more
- Saturday, September 26: Twenty One Pilots, Gwen Stefani, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, All Time Low, 311 + 7 more
- Sunday, September 27: Mumford & Sons, Matchbox Twenty, My Morning Jacket, CAAMP, The Head and the Heart, Hanson + 6 more
Oceans Calling 2026 lineup FAQ
When is Oceans Calling 2026?
September 25–27, 2026 — Friday through Sunday.
Where does Oceans Calling take place?
On the beach and boardwalk at the Ocean City Inlet, Ocean City, MD.
Who is headlining Oceans Calling 2026?
Dave Matthews Band and Hootie & the Blowfish (Friday), Twenty One Pilots and Gwen Stefani (Saturday), and Mumford & Sons closing after Matchbox Twenty (Sunday).
How many acts are playing?
39 acts across three days and multiple boardwalk stages.
What days do specific acts play?
Every act's day is already on this page — expand the full lineup below or check the day-by-day breakdown.
How do I figure out which acts I'd like?
Tell the finder at the top of this page a few bands you love — it'll match you with your must-see sets, with reasons why.
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Going to Oceans Calling 2026? Get tickets ↗
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Oceans Calling full lineup
Hootie & the Blowfish
'Cracked Rear View' forever — Darius Rucker and the gang's easygoing roots-rock reunion, good-natured hits played exactly as remembered.
Ludacris
Atlanta's fastest wit — twenty years of hits delivered with a showman's grin, from 'Southern Hospitality' to stadium-hosting polish.
O.A.R.
Maryland's own — 'That Was a Crazy Game of Poker' a state holiday in these parts, roots-rock jam warmth built over decades.
Yellowcard
Violin-powered pop-punk — 'Ocean Avenue' at the actual ocean, and the violin still carries the hooks.
Shaggy
Mr. Boombastic himself — dancehall-pop sunshine, certified boardwalk-appropriate, 'Angel' and 'It Wasn't Me' back to back.
Liz Phair
'Exile in Guyville' rewired indie rock's rules — blunt, brilliant, foundational, and still the reference point three decades on.
Gavin DeGraw
'I Don't Want to Be' and a piano-soul catalog built for singing along — 2000s radio warmth delivered by a genuine road-tested voice.
Better Than Ezra
'Good' still is — New Orleans alt-rock lifers with easy charm and a '90s catalog deeper than the one-hit tag suggests.
KT Tunstall
'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree' looped live — Scottish folk-pop firecracker who builds the whole band from one pedal, then plays the hits.
Everlast
House of Pain's frontman turned bluesman — 'What It's Like' still lands heavy, acoustic grit and rap cadence sharing one gravel voice.
Shwayze
'Buzzin'' beach-rap breeziness — summer of 2008, bottled, still fizzy on opening, sunscreen-scented hooks intact.
King Stingray
Yolŋu surf-rock from northeast Arnhem Land — joyous bilingual anthems that carry Australia's oldest musical traditions on the brightest new hooks.
Linka Moja
Twenty One Pilots
Genre-agnostic arena duo — rap, ukulele, and existential dread with a devoted Clique, lore deep enough for a wiki.
Gwen Stefani
No Doubt's voice and a solo-pop era of her own — 'Hollaback Girl' on a boardwalk, as intended, with ska-era deep cuts if you're lucky.
Goo Goo Dolls
'Iris' at sunset on the beach — you already know you're singing it, along with more '90s radio staples than you remembered they owned.
Third Eye Blind
Semi-charmed alt-rock perfection — a greatest-hits set with no skips, doot-doot-doots at maximum participation, Jenkins still selling every word.
All Time Low
Maryland pop-punk heroes — two decades of fast, funny, chorus-first anthems, and 'Dear Maria' hits different in home waters.
311
Amber-toned reggae-rock positivity out of Omaha — three decades of hybrid grooves, rap-rock verses, and sunny choruses that made them a permanent institution of the summer shed circuit.
Violent Femmes
'Blister in the Sun' and the strangest great American songbook — acoustic punk forever, xylophone solos included.
Dashboard Confessional
Emo's original singalong leader — Chris Carrabba conducting thousands through 'Hands Down' and 'Screaming Infidelities', acoustic confession turned mass ritual.
Corinne Bailey Rae
'Put Your Records On' warmth and a fearless experimental streak since — a career that swerved from café-soul comfort into art-rock and electronic left turns.
Everclear
'Santa Monica' and Art Alexakis's survivor's-eye alt-rock — hard-luck autobiography set to some of the '90s' stickiest guitar hooks.
Dishwalla
'Counting Blue Cars' — one of the '90s' great one-song legacies, played with pride by a band with more catalog than the tag implies.
GoldFord
Gravel-and-honey soul-folk — 'Walk With Me' warmth, stomp-and-clap swells built for arms-around-strangers moments, gospel-warm and stadium-ready.
Cassandra Coleman
American Idol alum with an ethereal, aching voice — hushed, cinematic singer-songwriter material that aims straight for the chest.
Mumford & Sons
The banjo-stomp arena kings returned — communal, hymn-sized folk-rock built for a beach at dusk, 'I Will Wait' on cue.
Matchbox Twenty
Rob Thomas's hit factory — '3AM' to 'Unwell,' the sound of every late-'90s radio dial, played by a band tighter than the nostalgia requires.
My Morning Jacket
Louisville's reverb-cathedral builders — 'One Big Holiday' is a religious experience live, and the deep catalog rewards the devout.
CAAMP
Banjo-led Ohio folk warmth — campfire songs grown to amphitheater size, with ragged harmonies that make sincerity feel like the whole point.
The Head and the Heart
Seattle indie-folk harmonies — 'Rivers and Roads' will wreck you on a beach at dusk, exactly as designed.
Hanson
MMMBop and beyond — three decades of brotherly pop craft, zero irony required, from teen phenomenon to sturdy adult power-pop institution.
Jet
'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' — Aussie garage swagger, reunited, with enough riff-rock singles to keep the tank full.
OK Go
The treadmill-video geniuses — power pop with engineering-degree stagecraft, confetti physics included, and songs that hold up without the treadmills.
Susanna Hoffs
The Bangles' voice on her own — 'Eternal Flame' and jangle-pop grace, with a songbook that spans eras.
Cory Wong
The rhythm-guitar machine of Vulfpeck fame — impossibly tight funk with a horn-powered band, a clinic in right-hand technique that never stops smiling.
Fastball
'The Way' — power-pop's great mystery-novel single, still gleaming, from an Austin band with sturdier album cuts than one-hit status implies.
Nat Myers
Korean-American country-blues revivalist — National steel guitar and dust-bowl holler, prewar blues played like breaking news.