Rehoboth Beach Is Kicking Off Summer in a Big Way — and Ashley Biden Is Part of It
If you know anything about Rehoboth Beach in the summer, you know this much: the season doesn’t just start here — it arrives with a kind of collective exhale.
Windows open. Bikes back on the boards. Restaurants filling up. And suddenly, the town shifts from quiet coastal escape to full-on summer energy.
And this year, one of the most recognizable political families in the country is helping mark the moment.
The Washington Blade’s 19th Annual Summer Kickoff Party is returning to Rehoboth Beach on Friday, May 15, and it’s shaping up to be one of the more talked-about seasonal events on the calendar.
A Rehoboth Tradition with a Bigger Spotlight This Year
The Summer Kickoff Party has quietly become one of those “if you know, you know” Rehoboth events — part community gathering, part fundraiser, part who’s-who of local advocacy and summer regulars.
But this year comes with a little extra national attention.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, is scheduled to attend and accept an award on behalf of her late brother, Beau Biden, honoring his longtime advocacy for LGBTQ rights during his time as Delaware Attorney General.
Her appearance was originally planned for last year but was rescheduled, making this year’s event a sort of full-circle moment for organizers and attendees.
The Setting: Casual Rehoboth, Not Red Carpet Energy
The event will take place at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.), running from 5–7 p.m., which feels very on-brand for Rehoboth.
This isn’t a black-tie political gala. It’s more like:
flip-flops, cocktails, familiar faces, and conversations that bounce between summer plans and community impact.
That’s part of what makes Rehoboth events like this feel different — they sit at the intersection of beach town ease and real civic engagement.
More Than a Party: A Fundraiser with Purpose
While it has all the energy of a summer social kickoff, the event also supports something deeper.
Proceeds benefit the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, run by the Washington Blade Foundation. The fellowship funds a summer reporting position focused on LGBTQ news in Delaware — meaning this event directly supports coverage of the very community that has helped shape Rehoboth’s identity.
This year’s fellowship recipient will also be introduced at the event, continuing a pipeline of journalism rooted in local LGBTQ storytelling.
Who Else Is Speaking
Alongside Ashley Biden’s appearance, the program includes remarks from several key voices in Delaware’s political and LGBTQ community space, including:
State Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall
New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan
Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff
It’s a lineup that reflects something very specific about Rehoboth: this is a beach town, yes — but it’s also a place where policy, community, and culture overlap in a very real way.
Why This Event Matters Beyond Rehoboth
If you’re reading this from outside Delaware, it might sound like a niche local gathering.
But Rehoboth Beach has long played a unique role in LGBTQ East Coast culture — a place where D.C., Baltimore, Philly, and New York all seem to converge every summer.
Events like this aren’t just social stops on a calendar. They’re part of how the town maintains its identity as a welcoming, visible, and active LGBTQ destination.
And when a nationally recognized name like Ashley Biden shows up in that context, it naturally draws wider attention.
Not because it’s flashy — but because it signals how deeply intertwined Rehoboth is with larger cultural and political narratives.
A Very Rehoboth Way to Start the Season
There’s something fitting about this happening in mid-May.
Rehoboth doesn’t really do “official openings” the way bigger cities do. Instead, summer kind of sneaks in — one event, one weekend, one packed restaurant at a time — until suddenly you realize the season is fully underway.
The Summer Kickoff Party is one of those early signals.
It says:
we’re back, the town is alive again, and the season is officially in motion.
The Bottom Line
The Washington Blade’s Summer Kickoff Party has become a quiet but meaningful marker on the Rehoboth calendar — and this year’s edition carries a little extra visibility, a little more history, and a little more national curiosity.
But at its core, it’s still very Rehoboth:
community-focused, casually stylish, socially connected, and rooted in the people who make the town what it is.
Summer is coming.
And in Rehoboth Beach, it always starts with a moment like this.
