TYBEE ISLAND ― Students at historically Black colleges and universities have long had a crush on Orange Crush, the annual, unsanctioned spring break beach party at the Georgia shore.
Now Tybee Island leaders are ready to return that affection — but with conditions.
City government officials on Wednesday issued a special use permit for an Orange Crush festival to be staged April 19 next to the Tybee Island Pier. The authorization is for one day, not three days as the organizers initially requested, and prohibits amplified music after 8 p.m.
The authorization also requires the petitioners to submit a letter of permission to use the state-owned beach from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and an insurance policy certificate with coverage of at least $1 million, among other conditions.
The approval sets up the first sanctioned event tied to the often-controversial gathering since 1991, when student government leaders from nearby Savannah State University stopped organizing the event. They had launched Orange Crush three years earlier as a way to lift the school’s profile among HBCUs around the Southeast.
The party continued as an unofficial event in the decades that followed, drawing tens of thousands of attendees to the 3-square-mile island each April. Often compared to Atlanta’s FreakNik celebration of the 1990s, Orange Crush alienated many Tybee residents. Locals repeatedly complained about traffic congestion and litter generated by event attendees and partyers’ lack of respect for private property.
Tybee’s populace is overwhelmingly white, adding a racial element to the clash.
A particularly crowded 2023 celebration was marked by violent incidents, including an assault on a police officer, that sparked a public safety crackdown last year.
Determined to change the tone surrounding Orange Crush, two Florida-based festival organizers petitioned in December for the special use permit. Their plan accounted for security, sanitation and traffic. One of the petitioners, George Ransom Turner III, is a Savannah native who went to high school with Tybee Mayor Brian West’s son.
The application met all the city requirements and led to a series of planning meetings between the organizers and city officials. West and Tybee City Manager Bret Bell said in January they anticipated issuing the permit provided a few details could be addressed.
The permit authorized Wednesday also requires organizers to clean up the event space immediately following the party’s close and communicate to the city any special parking arrangements, including a shuttle service.
West noted the tide cycle and other conditions should reduce the crowd size for the April 19 party.
“The high tide is 1 p.m. that day, so the event area will be small,” West said. “With a single-lane road to access the island, reaching the event will be difficult, and parking will be limited.”
Organizers nonetheless launched a marketing campaign Thursday for Orange Crush 2025. The ads include a faux police citation ordering partyers to appear for a violation of “excessive beach fun” and promising headliner music acts, a Greek step show and live DJs throughout the day on April 19.
Contacted Thursday for comment on the city’s approval of the event permit, Turner pointed those interested in learning more about Orange Crush to the event’s website.
Credit: Courtesy of OrangeCrushTybee.com
Credit: Courtesy of OrangeCrushTybee.com
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
