24-05-2025
Visitors flock to Wildwood, New Jersey, for Memorial Day Weekend – the unofficial start to summer
It's the unofficial start to summer, plus the International Kite Festival in Wildwood, New Jersey
It's the unofficial start to summer, plus the International Kite Festival in Wildwood, New Jersey
It's the unofficial start to summer, plus the International Kite Festival in Wildwood, New Jersey
Those Wildwood days are back again! The iconic tram cars are moving, and families are once again filling the boardwalk, making memories at the beginning of a new season down the shore.
"It's the ocean, it's the restaurants, it's the amusement parks – Morey's Piers has been here as long as we have," said Calvin Price, who has been coming to Wildwood for 50 years with his family.
Price drove from Connecticut on Thursday afternoon to beat the traffic. He enjoyed a walk on the boards on Friday, and his grandson, Oscar, is helping to carry on the tradition.
"I'm looking forward to doing whatever my Poppop had planned and go to the boardwalk and have fun," said Oscar Brennan.
The Wildwoods unlocked the ocean Friday morning. The festivities kicked off with a moving Flags of Liberty Ceremony to highlight the true meaning of Memorial Day. More than 125 casket flags were unfurled around the Convention Center, which represented deceased veterans.
Lori Stokes-Powers remembered her father, who served in WWII.
"It means so much to us, I personally think we can never do enough for the veterans," Stokes-Powers said.
"We should always take care of them, whatever they need, take care of them for what they've done for us, we wouldn't have the life we have without them," said Ted Powers.
Inside the Convention Center, second graders from the island's schools made kites and then made their way onto the sand to help kick off the International Kite Festival.
This is the 39th year of the festival, and all different colors, shapes, and sizes took flight, another tradition helping the Wildwoods come alive this weekend
"As soon as the traffic lights go back on we know it's time to kick into high gear, get ready for our guests to come down and visit us and make sure everybody has a spectacular summer that they're used to," said Louis Belasco, executive director of the Greater Wildwood Tourism Authority.
