Atlantic City ‘opens’ for the season with unlocking ceremony, beach ball drop at Resorts | Casinos

No, they weren’t watching the rain fall. Instead, they were eagerly waiting for 5,000 beach balls to drop to the boards.

Resorts capped Friday’s festivities that kicked off Memorial Day weekend with the return of its annual Beach Ball Drop, a celebration that included music, entertainers, an appearance from the Transformers’ own Bumblebee and saw people attempt to get their hands on a variety of beach balls, inflatable dice, dolphins and other blow-ups.

Mayor Marty Small Sr. was on hand early in the afternoon. He carried a colorful wreath down to the ocean before driving an oversized key into the sand and turning it to “unlock” the ocean for the summer. He then got into an Atlantic City Beach Patrol boat and threw the wreath into the ocean.

Resorts President and CEO Mark Giannantonio greeted the crowd before the drop, remarking that even the rain wasn’t going to stop the party Friday. A countdown began, and one by one, each of the dozen or so canopies carrying inflatables fell onto the excited crowd.