BALTIMORE — Oceans Calling canceled the opening day of its sold-out Ocean City festival after days of rough weather and beach erosion left crews unable to finish building the site safely.

“Despite the extraordinary efforts of our production, site, safety teams, and the city staff/officials,” organizers said in a post, the weather’s effects “have made it impossible to safely complete the build in time for Friday.”

Friday ticket holders will receive automatic refunds. People who purchased three-day passes directly through Front Gate Tickets will receive 33% refunds. The money will be returned to the original payment method in as little as 30 days.

The fate of the remainder of the weekend was not immediately clear. Organizers said they were working to open Saturday and Sunday and were “hoping the conditions improve.” Fans were asked to monitor official festival channels for updates.

The cancellation came hours after organizers said the festival would proceed with a delayed 1 p.m. opening Friday.

Tom Maronick, an Ocean City attorney, told The Baltimore Sun that “the liability would be enormous if they chose to have the festival and someone hurt or worse.”

Fans quickly filled the festival’s Facebook announcement with questions about whether Friday performers could be moved to the remaining days, whether single-day passes could be used later and how refunds would work for tickets purchased through resale sites.

Many were disappointed to miss Friday headliners including Dave Matthews Band and Hootie & the Blowfish. “DMB has been a bucket list item for YEARS. I’m so devastated,” Hannah Nicole Reese wrote.

For some, the cancellation disrupted expensive travel plans. “As someone who just got on the plane to head out there from Dallas TX this is really disappointing,” Lexie Callies wrote. She wanted a quick decision about the rest of the weekend, so she could decide whether to return home and try for a reimbursement through trip insurance.

Others supported the decision to put safety first. “I have a Sat only ticket, props to the team thinking of the crew and being safe,” Rachael Mancuso wrote.

A coastal storm battered Ocean City during setup, producing powerful surf, beach erosion and wind gusts approaching 50 mph. The National Weather Service forecast gusts near 40 mph Friday and between 30 and 35 mph Saturday before conditions improve Sunday. A coastal flood warning remains in effect in Worcester County through 4 p.m. Friday.

More than 40 performances were planned across three stages at the Ocean City Inlet. Dave Matthews Band, Gwen Stefani and Mumford & Sons were billed as headliners.

The inaugural 2022 Oceans Calling festival was canceled because of Hurricane Ian. Beth Neigeborn Benson, who had tickets to the hurricane-canceled 2022 festival, encouraged visitors to support Ocean City’s restaurants and bars regardless of what happens next. “Safety first but make the best of whatever happens this weekend,” she wrote.

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