Thousands gather for massive TidalWave Music Festival in Atlantic City
The three-day concert started Friday and is being held on the beach off Arkansas Avenue.
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Tens of thousands of country music fans are converging on Atlantic City this weekend for the second annual TidalWave Music Festival.
It features some of the biggest stars in the genre and generates millions of dollars in revenue for the region.
The three-day concert started Friday and is being held on the beach off Arkansas Avenue. There are two stages at the event, one for up-and-coming artists and another for headliners.
"Oh it's crazy, I've never seen this many people," said Eleina Tindall from Tom's River, Ocean County.
"You can make friends who you never even knew or met. You meet them for the first time and all of a sudden you're friends," said Russell Steward from Lebanon, Hunterdon County.
He secured his front-row seat hours before the headliners.
On the beach, country music fans like Terry Perkins recovered from Friday night's concerts with the sun and sand.
"It's beautiful. The weather is amazing, we're right on the beach, the concert, the set up. This is my first time to a music festival so I'm very excited," said Perkins, who traveled in from New Hampshire.
Boardwalk businesses like Funnel Cake House say this has become one of the busiest weekends of summer.
"We have more people coming. This summer, I don't know what happened. In July and June, it was very slow," said owner Said Gad.
The city's chamber of commerce says holding a large event like this touches every corner of Atlantic City.
"They boost our local businesses, the restaurants, the shops. They generate revenue through ticket sales, parking fees, and a variety of different spending," said Michael Chait, the president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber.
As some tourists visit Atlantic City for the first time for this festival, Chait hopes the town's hospitality will make a lasting impression.
"The Atlantic Ocean is pristine. The boardwalk is iconic globally. I think when they get here, they'll see the diversity of entertainment we have to offer," he said.
It's a big week all around for Atlantic City, as on Wednesday the air show is set to take place.
The chamber says that the one-day event has a $70 million impact on the region.
