Atlantic City is changing. The iconic New Jersey shore town, long defined by its glittering casinos and gaming floors, is now staking its future on something far bigger. Events, dining, sports, culture and experiential travel are rewriting what it means to visit America’s Playground, and the early results are hard to argue with.
A New Identity Takes Shape in South Jersey
Gary Musich stepped into the top role at Visit Atlantic City in January 2025. He came in with a clear mission: move the city beyond its casino roots and build a destination that draws people for far more reasons than gambling.
His first major move was consolidating the long-running “DO AC” leisure brand with Visit Atlantic City’s convention and meetings arm. That integration, finalized in early 2025, brought leisure marketing and meetings promotion under a single destination brand for the first time.
“Uniting the DO AC and Visit Atlantic City brands under one umbrella marks a pivotal moment for Atlantic City,” Musich said when the merger was announced.
The rebrand was more than cosmetic. The organization launched a redesigned website with a built-in booking engine connecting visitors directly to casinos, restaurants, non-gaming attractions and accommodations across the region. One goal stood out above all others: give people a reason to plan a full trip, not just a quick overnight visit.
That matters more than it sounds. Around 70 percent of visitors who stay overnight in Atlantic City currently do so for just one night. Extending that stay, even by half a day, would significantly boost local revenue.
The new destination campaign, “Iconic in the Everyday,” reflects the city’s push to build its identity around nostalgia, history, food and entertainment rather than the gaming floor alone.
Record Numbers Back the Bold New Direction
The results from 2025 made the strongest possible case for this new direction.
Visit Atlantic City hosted 205 meetings, conventions and trade shows that year. Those events generated 328,067 room nights, welcomed 533,242 attendees and produced an estimated $362 million in economic impact. It was the organization’s best year on record.
That momentum carried straight into 2026. During the first quarter alone, the city hosted 18 events, conventions and conferences. Here is what those Q1 2026 numbers showed:
- 38,833 booked room nights generated
- Nearly 160,000 total attendees welcomed
- Approximately $20 million in estimated economic impact
The full-year outlook is even stronger. Visit Atlantic City has multiple citywide events already locked in for 2026 with a combined value exceeding $86 million, including a last-minute signing of the Service Employees International Union meeting.
“We have business on the books through 2032, including a 15,000-room night event that year,” Musich said. “That’s unheard of.”
Big Events Are Driving the Tourism Shift
Nothing signals the new direction more than the event calendar now filling Atlantic City’s year.
WWE is returning to the city on June 29, 2026, for its first televised events in nearly 20 years. A double taping of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown will take place at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Atlantic City last hosted a WWE televised broadcast in 2008, and the city previously staged both WrestleMania IV in 1988 and WrestleMania V in 1989, making this return a landmark moment for the destination.
The sports commission is also delivering major wins. Atlantic City was unanimously selected to host the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from 2027 through 2031. That five-year deal is projected to generate more than $19 million in economic impact. A partnership with 3Step Sports for volleyball events is expected to bring $22 million in annual economic impact from 2026 through 2028.
Here is a snapshot of what is on Atlantic City’s 2026 event calendar and what it means financially:
| Event | Date | Projected Impact |
|---|---|---|
| WWE Raw and SmackDown Double Taping | June 29, 2026 | National TV exposure, major hotel surge |
| World Cup Watch Party and Beach Fest | July 18-19, 2026 | State grant funded, global visitors targeted |
| Soar and Shore Festival | May 29-31, 2026 | $15M+ generated in 2025 debut |
| Taste Atlantic City | March 2026 | 60+ restaurants, regional audience draw |
| MAAC Basketball Championships | 2027 to 2031 | $19M+ estimated over five years |
| 3Step Sports Volleyball Events | 2026 to 2028 | $22M annually |
The Soar and Shore Festival drew 150,000 visitors to the Boardwalk in its first year and generated around $15 million for the local economy. The 2026 edition expanded to include public activations at Atlantic City International Airport, where visitors could meet pilots and watch aircraft ahead of aerial performances over the beach and Boardwalk.
Taste Atlantic City replaced the traditional restaurant week format, bringing more than 60 restaurants into a tiered dining experience built to attract both out-of-town visitors and locals.
Atlantic City’s World Cup Window Is Wide Open
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is anchored in the New York and New Jersey region, and Atlantic City is not watching from the sidelines.
The city is not hosting any matches. But it is positioning itself as a must-visit destination for the flood of international visitors who want to experience the tournament’s energy beyond the stadium itself.
A large Adidas World Cup soccer ball display has been installed on the Boardwalk near Bally’s. Atlantic City is one of only a select few cities chosen for that highly visible activation.
“We’re one of the cities that have been chosen to display that,” Musich said, describing the Boardwalk installation as part of the city’s broader strategy to connect with the global audience the tournament is bringing to the region.
Visit Atlantic City received a state grant through New Jersey’s NJ World Cup Community Initiative. The funding supports a Watch Party combined with the Atlantic City Beach Fest on July 18 and 19, the same weekend the FIFA World Cup Final takes place at MetLife Stadium.
Philadelphia is just 60 miles away from Atlantic City and will host multiple group stage matches at Lincoln Financial Field. That proximity makes the shore city a natural stop for World Cup travelers moving through the region. A dedicated multilingual digital platform, WorldCupAC.com, is actively connecting international visitors to Atlantic City’s hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and transportation options, reaching audiences from more than 30 countries.
Spending Smart and Showing Up Everywhere
Visit Atlantic City is funded through the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and operates with a lean budget. What it lacks in spending power it is making up for in strategy.
In 2025, the organization placed digital billboards in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, advertised on branded buses along the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Parade route and ran messaging on bus shelters and screens across New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington D.C.
The campaign earned Visit Atlantic City the New Jersey Tourism Excellence Award in Public Relations, along with the Smart Meetings Smart Stars Award for Best Beach CVB and DMO.
“You see us everywhere now. Our marketing team has done a spectacular job utilizing the funds,” Musich said. “We don’t have a big budget. We’re using it in a very smart way.”
For 2026, the convention sales team has 224 travel events scheduled across 40 cities. Road shows are planned in Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas and beyond. The core message for every pitch is consistent: Atlantic City delivers celebrations, culture, food and sports experiences, not just casino floors.
The region is also exploring film and television production as another way to raise its profile. Visit Atlantic City has been in conversations with government officials and film industry leaders about tax incentives designed to attract production projects to South Jersey.
Atlantic City is no longer gambling on gambling alone. From a WWE crowd roaring inside Boardwalk Hall to World Cup fans gathering on the beach, from record-breaking convention numbers to sold-out food festivals, this city is building something it has never fully had before: a reason for everyone to visit, whether they ever pull a slot handle or not. The momentum is real, the calendar is full and the leadership has a clear vision for what comes next. For a city that spent years defined by its casinos, that is the most exciting hand Atlantic City has played in a very long time. What do you think about Atlantic City’s push to become more than just a casino destination? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
