Roland E. Powell Convention Center & Ocean City Performing Arts Center

The Roland E. Powell Convention Center is Ocean City, Maryland’s convention and event venue, on the bayside of Coastal Highway. It is operated by the Town of Ocean City’s Tourism Department and also houses the Ocean City Performing Arts Center.

The convention center opened in 1997 and is named for former Ocean City mayor Roland E. Powell. It offers about 214,000 square feet of exhibit space, and its main hall can be converted into an indoor arena of up to 5,000 seats for concerts and sporting events. The Performing Arts Center inside the building is a 1,200-seat theater with two tiers of seating, box seats along the sides, 50-foot ceilings, a wide stage and its own box office. It hosts touring musicians, theater and comedy, such as the Dreamfest weekend in January 2026.

In September 2026 the building hosted Ocean City’s first TEDx event, TEDx Butterfish Cove, in the Performing Arts Center, followed by the two-day E-Volution Expo of electric vehicles, AI, robotics and wellness in the convention hall, with a Tesla light show in the parking lot on the Saturday night.

On Citywide.TV: TEDx Butterfish Cove & E-Volution Expo 2026 recap · E-Volution Expo 2026 in Ocean City, Maryland · Ocean City & Berlin MD Live Music Calendar

Address: 4001 Coastal Hwy, Ocean City, MD 21842
Phone: 410-289-2800 (Box office: 1-800-OC-OCEAN)
Email: ask@ococean.com
Website: ococean.com/convention-center · ococean.com/performing-arts-center
Social: Instagram · Facebook · X

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