What began as a cherished spring break event for a local Georgia college in the 1980s has transformed into a “riotous” festival in recent years, drawing tens of thousands of attendees to a small island struggling to work proactively with the event organizers.
Orange Crush, a spring break event in Tybee Island, Georgia, that used to be organized by students at nearby Savannah State University, brought “complete mayhem” to Tybee Island in 2023, according to Mayor Brian West.
“Parking areas basically became disaster areas because we had people who were either shooting off fireworks that sounded like guns, or they were actually shooting guns, and people were running and stampeding. … It was riotous. It was really bad,” West said of the 2023 event.
While the event is no longer affiliated with Savannah State, it is returning to Tybee Island on Easter weekend and expected to draw an estimated 50,000 attendees to the three-mile-long island.
For those attending Orange Crush, West said the “chances are better that you’re not going to have a good experience” than the chances of having a good experience.
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.
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