Georgia police made 22 arrests over the weekend as Tybee Island welcomed partiers to Orange Crush, a controversial Georgia college spring break bash that has previously brought violence and piles of trash to the quiet vacation town.
The Tybee Island Police Department and Georgia State Police made 22 total arrests and 22 traffic citations over the weekend, one of which was a family-related murder that did not have any connection to Orange Crush, which was held on Saturday.
Police told Fox News Digital that the “vast majority” of the other 21 arrests were tied to the festival. There were 54 arrests during Orange Crush last year and 26 in 2023. In comparison to another large event on the island, 13 arrests were made during Irish Heritage Weekend in March.
“They’re having a great time. It’s a good crowd. It’s mostly younger college students. We don’t have the bad actors that came … here so often and make things miserable for people,” Mayor Brian West said in a Saturday video posted to Facebook from the massive beach party.
Orange Crush obtained an official permit this year, along with an agreement between its organizers and Tybee Island city officials to keep the beach clean enough for the estimated several thousand people who showed up to watch the sunrise on Easter Sunday from the Tybee Beach pier — an annual tradition for the city.
“Our whole region of southeast Georgia has nothing but bad memories about this event [in recent years]. … It got out of control whenever people got involved who weren’t really college students. They were coming just to try and make money or whatever,” West told Fox News Digital on Friday ahead of the event. “We had a really good year last year. It was a complete success, in my opinion, although it wasn’t perfect.”
West added that city officials would keep working with event organizers to establish trust among locals and keep the event returning to Tybee for future spring break festivals if Orange Crush was a success over the weekend.
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Tybee Island City Manager Bret Bell said during a press conference Wednesday recorded by WSAV that “Tybee has always been one of the great host communities of the South, and this weekend will be no different.”
“Troublemakers are never welcome on Tybee Island, and this is no exception to that. But if you’re here to have a good time on one of the most beautiful spots on Earth, we welcome you with open arms.”
“If you’re here to have a good time on one of the most beautiful spots on Earth, we welcome you with open arms.”
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The college-age beach bash, which was previously held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Tybee, only took place on Saturday this year as part of the agreement with city officials.
About 7,000 people attended the event — a low turnout compared to prior years, according to Savannah Now.
The event ended at 8 p.m. EDT, at which point festivalgoers had to leave the beach and head to Saturday evening activities elsewhere in nearby Savannah.
Tybee Island’s entire police department of about 30 officers monitored the event, along with approximately 130 officers from other local agencies providing support to Tybee for the festival.
Orange Crush designated 25 people to help with cleanup after the event, and Tybee Island leaders asked for volunteers to assist afterward.
“Bring your own trash bags. Don’t wait for someone to come organize you. Just come and pick up litter,” Bell said.
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Orange Crush began as a relatively small spring break gathering for Savannah State students in 1989 but has since grown into a large festival that local officials have struggled to control in recent years. The city has dealt with issues ranging from traffic backups and litter in the ocean to gunfire, fights and stampeding, West previously told Fox News Digital.
While the event is no longer affiliated with Savannah State and briefly moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2021, it has since returned to the Georgia vacation spot and is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees to the three-mile island.
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“This is the first time that we have ever received a permit that was complete and answered all of our questions,” West told Fox News Digital. “So, that was the first step. The promoters made the effort to do it the right way. And then … they were able to meet the permit requirements as we kind of customize them for what we would like the event to look like.”
“They were willing to work with us and to create an event that both the city and the promoters can live with.”
West said he and other city officials have been working with event promoters for “weeks” to ensure the festival goes smoothly.
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West noted that “spring break is a problem” for many coastal cities across the southeast, and Tybee is no exception, but the city feels it can make Orange Crush a “better” event and possibly reduce some restrictions in the future.
Last month, Tybee Island granted a special permit for Orange Crush after negotiating a one-day event rather than a three-day event, as well as an agreed-upon site plan that blocks access to Tybee Island parking lots, where West said some nefarious activity occurred at past Orange Crush events.
Attendees could also rent beach equipment and purchase special VIP access.
Orange Crush organizer Steven Smalls previously told Fox News Digital in a statement that his team has “implemented a structured system to bring organization, security, and entertainment to this event — something that has never been done before.”
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“I have worked closely with Tybee Island officials, including Mayor Brian West, law enforcement in Tybee Island and Savannah and other key stakeholders to develop a rigorous plan for this year’s festival,” Smalls said. “Our team has followed a strict schedule to ensure that every detail is carefully organized and executed with safety and structure in mind.”
Smalls noted that Orange Crush has “been a longstanding tradition, occurring with or without a permit,” but this year will be different because “for the first time, the event is officially structured, with security, waste management and traffic coordination in place.”
In 2018, Tybee Island enacted new regulations cracking down on Orange Crush weekend, including restrictions on open alcohol because Tybee is an open container city, increased traffic stops and property searches and limits on home rentals. An activist group, the Concerned Citizens of Tybee, complained about the regulations and involved the Justice Department. Eventually, the group and city leaders came to an agreement in July 2018.
The agreement states that Tybee will apply the same rules and restrictions to all large events on the island, “permitted or unpermitted,” that will be applied equally.
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