We made 10 Shore predictions for 2026. Here’s how we did.

Things not on my 2026 Jersey Shore predictions bingo card: a canceled Luau, and a dispute over live outdoor music featuring audio of 911 complaints posted to Facebook.

But, at the start of summer, I did make 10 predictions on how the Shore summer would go.

Here’s how I did.

I’m calling this a win (for my predictions score; people have very different views of the hotel). In June, Eustace Mita finally got his dream of a declaration that the old Wonderland Pier site at 600 Boardwalk in Ocean City is “in need of rehabilitation.”

The Icona developer is now in negotiations with Ocean City about a hotel proposal, which he says will be a scaled-down version of his initial 7-story, 252-room plan that called for saving the Ferris wheel and historic carousel. City Council is vowing to be guided by recommendations from a Boardwalk subcommittee. Meanwhile, Council hired a lawyer to defend against a lawsuit by citizens groups.

Alas, not even the sale of the Irish Pub in Philadelphia appeared to jump start any renovations in Atlantic City, where owner Cathy Burke has been in a stalemate with state inspectors over whether the iconic, beloved Pub on St. James Place should be considered a high rise. The pub has been closed since January.

Will locals have their fish and chips and Guinnesses on Christmas Eve as per usual? You never know. Burke did not answer a text message seeking an update. Asked about the Irish Pub’s status, Atlantic City spokesperson Andrew Kramer said he had, “nothing new from my end on this one.”

But, in an upset, the city has begun paving Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, in a development Mayor Marty Small Sr. called “massive,” and said would be complete by year’s end.

Restaurants were stressed this summer. As is usual in late summer, many lost employees as the season wore on all the way to Sept. 7, and had to cut back seating or hours. Others pled with their clientele for patience. Still, there were lines down the block for coffee places, and booked up reservations for favorites like Steve & Cookies and Cafe 2825. New places were opening up deep into summer, like Culina Mundi in Ventnor and Sabrina’s Kitchen in Atlantic City.

Bakeria 1010 owner and pizza savant Mike Fitzick posted a mock obituary for himself at summer’s end: “Welp that’s all she wrote folks. ... Right from start I knew this season was gonna be rough. All the staff I tried to hire fizzled out and the staff I had last year were mostly gone. This summer was pretty treacherous in every aspect ... June was trash, July was ok and we finally hit our stride in August. Better late than never, I guess. Unfortunately I have passed away due to self-inflicted cortisol poisoning. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Bakeria 1010 all winter. Jokes aside we WILL be open for lunch today...”

No, they did not honeymoon in Sea Isle, choosing instead Big Sky, Mont. (a lovely place), so that’s an easy one in my favor. But my leaving open the possibility that they would make an appearance in Sea Isle seems, on balance, ridiculous. Maybe they’re waiting for Jason and Kelce to finally make it off the waiting list for the Sea Isle Yacht Club. Maybe a celebrity bartending gig for Taylor at the Eagles Autism extravaganza next summer? Meanwhile, have fun in Ohio!

There was a lot of confusion over the new e-bike law in New Jersey.

First the state Motor Vehicles Commission said Pennsylvania visitors shouldn’t sweat the new registration requirements, then they changed their mind and said visitors should start their week down the Shore with a trip to the DMV. Adding to the confusion, the MVC requirements explainer page that says out-of-staters should comply now also says, “This page is intended for New Jersey Residents.”

In all, the MVC has issued a total of 13,850 e-bike registrations, according to commission statistics; 365 of those for out-of-state residents.

But police were generally light-handed on enforcement measures for the new law, with departments focusing on safety issues, like helmets, and age restrictions, rather than registrations.

Doug Bergen, a spokesperson for Ocean City, said no citations were issued there this summer under the new law.

In Ventnor, Lt. Bryan Gaviria said between May 1 and Sept. 10, the department issued 6 curbside warnings to juveniles, 10 e-bikes on the boardwalk warnings, and one ticket for riding on the boardwalk.

“We’re still in the education phase,” he said.

Statewide, statistics show 628 total citations under the e-bike and motorized bicycle law for July and August, according to data supplied by the New Jersey Judiciary.

Of those, just 77 were given for low-speed electric bicycles, 22 citations were for failing to have the registration required by the new law, and 2 were for drivers being under 15 years old. The rest of the citations issued were for motorized bicycles, the higher speed classification.

Yes, who else can afford to buy?

Real estate prices remained mostly in rarified air, like this adorable yellow 760-foot North Wildwood cottage that sold for $1.7 million in mid-August. It’s a tear down, naturally.

Or how about this 17,684 house in the Avalon dunes, built on spec by Eustace Mita (see above), with the distinction of being Avalon’s largest house and an expected price tag in the tens of millions.

In related news, the home elevator, once considered a luxury, is now considered an essential amenity for new homes in Ocean City, N.J., among other towns.

Wildwood spokesperson Alicia Deluca says the hours remained curtailed, with the Boardwalk closing between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

The grumbling over the new Volvo tram cars continued all summer, though. People do not like change. Meanwhile, though, Wildwood is preparing a 20-year redevelopment plan for its boardwalk that will see mixed-use projects, including hotels, apartments, condominiums, businesses and centralized parking garages.

I didn’t hear much over the din of loud music from Gully’s, and Facebook groups seemed preoccupied with other things: flies, shaming noise complainers, and finding the best chicken parm.

This prediction was a good one. Costs continued to rise, making shorter trips and day trips appealing. I predicted Atlantic City would get renewed attention, and it did, with groundbreakings for new housing developments, a container retail park close to opening, and the enduring appeal of a wide, free beach and a relatively inexpensive real estate picture.

Obvious miss on the predictions front: Atlantic Avenue is finally being paved. The odds were very long on this one.

So long. How long? Basically an extra week until the Sept. 7 Labor Day. Which left beach patrols, restaurants, and other business scrapped for employees, and rewarded marathon beach lovers with two days of atrocious flies on the beach Sept. 4 and 5, worse than anyone had ever experienced, like, really terrible! See ya next year!