Sound Waves: Sea.Hear.Now Music Fest Returns to the Jersey Shore

The annual event in Asbury Park featured a two-day lineup, sponsor activations, and plenty of fun in the sun and sand.

October 3, 2022

Sea.Hear.Now's Park Stage was set up in Bradley Park, located just off the boardwalk.Photo: Charles Reagan for Sea.Hear.NowASBURY PARK, N.J.—With its stages set up just feet from the Atlantic Ocean, Sea.Hear.Now gave new meaning to the term “band shell.”

The fourth annual music festival, which took place Sept. 17 and 18 along the boardwalk in Asbury Park, N.J., featured over 25 performances across three stages, including headliners Stevie Nicks and Green Day. Synonymous with Bruce Springsteen and home to mainstay music venues like the Stone Pony, the Jersey Shore town is used to welcoming performers big and small, making it a natural spot for a summertime fest like this. The event typically hosts roughly 35,000 fans.

Produced by Live Nation-owned C3 Presents in collaboration with festival organizers Danny Clinch and Tim Donnelly, Sea.Hear.Now embraced the laid-back beach vibes, with the addition of a surf contest called "North Beach Rumble" that featured the top male and female pro surfers from the East Coast, as well as morning yoga classes. And boats could be spotted anchored offshore, with the people aboard scoring possibly the best seats in the house.

Attendees could choose from three different ticketing tiers (General Admission, VIP, and Platinum), with a two-day general admission ticket costing $215, while a two-day platinum ticket sold for $1,650. The top tier provided access to an on-stage viewing area at the main stage and entrance into the Platinum Lounge, plus a complimentary lunch and dinner buffet, lockers with mobile chargers, and more.

While the venue offered up a unique setting, most of the event sponsors—including Tito’s, Audible, and Verizon—brought out their usual fest activations. With a plethora of music festivals happening on and around the weekend, such as Life Is Beautiful in Las Vegas and the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware, some brands decided to present their secondary footprints to fit the smaller-sized festival. Next year’s Sea.Hear.Now festival is slated to take place Sept. 16-17, 2023.

Scroll to see more from this year’s Sea.Hear.Now festival and its sponsor activations...

The fourth annual music festival, which took place Sept. 17 and 18 along the boardwalk in Asbury Park, N.J., featured more than 25 performances across three stages, including headliners Stevie Nicks and Green Day.

Photo: Charles Reagan for Sea.Hear.Now

Produced by Live Nation-owned C3 Presents in collaboration with festival organizers Danny Clinch and Tim Donnelly, Sea.Hear.Now embraced the laid-back beach vibe characteristic of Asbury Park.

Photo: Fiona Mullen for Sea.How.Now

A surf contest took place during the festival and featured the top male and female professional surfers from the East Coast.

Photo: Fiona Mullen for Sea.Hear.Now

Attendees could take part in morning yoga classes on the beach during festival weekend.

Photo: Charles Reagan for Sea.Hear.Now

The festival footprint stretched from Bradley Park to the beach.

Photo: Grant Hodgeon for Sea.Hear.Now

Artists including Jim James from My Morning Jacket (pictured) performed intimate shows with Q&As for fans in the Transparent Clinch pop-up art gallery. The gallery featured photos and artwork by festival performers.

Photo: Chris Capaci for Sea.Hear.Now

Sea.Hear.Now's Park Stage was set up in Bradley Park, located just off the boardwalk.

Photo: Charles Reagan for Sea.Hear.Now

Stevie Nicks headlined the first day of the festival.

Photo: Charles Reagan for Sea.Hear.Now

Audible Surf Shack Experience

The Amazon-owned company brought its audio storytelling experience to the festival, giving attendees the opportunity to listen to snippets of various volumes from its Words + Music franchise. The activation was produced by Civic Entertainment Group.

Photo: Jean Pierre Kathoefer for Audible

Listening stations allowed attendees to hear programming from the Words + Music franchise, which blends personal storytelling with performances from artists, including Sea.Hear.Now performer and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.

Photo: Jean Pierre Kathoefer for Audible

Recent franchise releases include The Road to Redunktion by Tenacious D, Dear Life from Beck, and Light, Spirit and Soul by Santana.

Photo: Jean Pierre Kathoefer for Audible

Inside the space, attendees were also able to snag screen-printed merch.

Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash

The activation included an outdoor seating area where attendees could sit and relax.

Photo: Jean Pierre Kathoefer for Audible

Hendrick’s Gin Botanical Boat Bar

Hendrick’s Gin served up specialty cocktails—Cucumber Lemonade, Neptunia Fizz, and Cucumber Mule—at its popular “boat bar," which featured nautical nods like submarine-style windows and a backdrop of greenery.

Photo: Courtesy of Hendrick's

Attendees were able to pose for photos with a costumed character surrounded by the brand’s signature red roses.

Photo: Courtesy of Hendrick's

White Claw Beach Lounge

Boozy seltzer brand White Claw was on-site with a smaller version of its larger 40-by-40-foot national footprint. The downsized activation featured the same lounge setting where attendees could grab a can of the hard seltzer and branded swag like sunglasses.

Photo: Courtesy of White Claw

Aperol Spritz Piazza

The Italian aperitif’s activation, which was produced by Swell, welcomed festivalgoers with marquee signage and an oversized silhouette of the Aperol Spritz's iconic orange bottle.

Photo: Courtesy of Swell

A reflective structure adorned with tropical greenery provided guests with a photo op.

Photo: Courtesy of Swell

Tito’s Stardust Experience

The vodka brand brought a version of its “Stardust Experience” activation to the festival. Attendees were able to win prizes by playing a claw machine and could personalize a Tito’s-branded dog tag, and sip on the signature cocktail: Tito’s Sparkling Lemonade.

Photo: Courtesy of Tito's

CELSIUS

The energy drink brand was on hand serving up samples to attendees.

Photo: Courtesy of CELSIUS

The space featured bean bag-style lounge seating and a backdrop composed of CELSIUS cans and neon signage.

Photo: Courtesy of CELSIUS

Verizon Deck

At the Verizon Deck, festivalgoers were able to try on Sea.Hear.Now merch using augmented reality powered by Verizon 5G. Here, guests could also score elevated views of the stage and free phone charging. Verizon also deployed temporary network enhancements to ensure customers in attendance were able to call and text throughout the festival.

Photo: Courtesy of Verizon