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Seven months before Sea.Hear.Now festival along Asbury Park’s waterfront unleashes a new lineup of entertainment, art, food and surf talents, organizers have announced general admission and VIP tickets are sold out.

“We’re blown away by the support for Sea.Hear.Now – all General Admission and VIP Tickets are officially sold out, organizers said in a written statement.

There are a few options left, like the $7,000 two-day Ultimate Experience pass. This includes admission for two, hotel accommodations at the new Asbury Ocean Club Resort [due to open next month], and backstage, VIP, and side stage viewing access. Also included in the tab is a dedicated festival concierge and private golf cart transportation to help accommodate one’s needs, an official festival merchandise gift, and an autograph photo from festival co-creator Danny Clinch.

Clinch, a music photographer from Toms River who operates The Danny Clinch Transparent Gallery in The Asbury hotel, and Asbury Park resident Tim Donnelly are two of the event’s key organizers.

Being held Sept 21 to 22 along Asbury Park’s waterfront, Sea.Hear.Now includes headlining performance by the Dave Matthews Band and Lumineers. Other acts include Dropkick Murphys, Dispatch, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The B-52s, Bad Religion, The Struts, St. Paul and Broken Bones, Sharon Van Etten, Cat Power, Matt and Kim, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Donavon Frankenreiter, Steel Pulse, The Marcus King Band, Ripe, Jade Bird, Fantastic Negrinto, Blind Melon, Work in Progress, Low Cut Connie, Dave Hause and the Mermaid, the Wrecks, Beach Rats, Brick and Mortar, Black Pumas, Lowlight and Boardwalk Social Club. Jake Clemons will also join the event as the musician-in-residence and as a surfer.

The surfing expression sessions are located between the stages with top pros, demos and live surfboard shaping. The lineup features pros from the east coast to Hawaii: Balaram Stack, Sam Hammer, Brett Barley, Noah Beschen, Quincy Davis, Cassidy McClain and more will compete in daily North Beach Expression sessions, according to a news release from festival producer C3. The surf competition features two heats of five, giving surfers thirty minutes to catch as many waves as possible. Surfers will be awarded points for style and creativity, with a crowned winner each day

An estimated crowd of 45,000 attended each day of last year’s inaugural event, organizers said. High praise was given by festival attendees for the attention to sustainable practices. Organizers say they are committed to raising awareness about the issues facing our ocean environment, including the global plastic waste crisis and climate change, according to the C3 news release. Last year, fans, staff, and Surfrider Foundation volunteers contributed 11.88 tons of recycling including aluminum cans from Open Water, reused over 9,500 drinks through official Sea.Hear.Now tin cups and water bottles, and saved 35,252 bottles from Manna Hydration Stations.

In the end, last year’s headliner Jack Johnson awarded Sea.Hear.Now his ‘All At Once Sustainability Award’ for US Festivals, as a result of showing real leadership in the movement to green the music industry.
Hopeful festival goers can still try to purchase or resell tickets (including sold out options) through their official Verified Ticket Exchange, where each ticket bought and sold is 100 percent authentic, organizers said.

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