Orange Crush Partiers Join Volunteer Clean Up Of Tybee Island

After last year's chaos at Orange Crush, attendees joined volunteers to clean up Tybee Island following this year's festivities.

Some attendees of the massive Orange Crush parties have joined officials and volunteers in the clean up of Georgia’s Tybee Island.

Fox 5 reported that more than 6,000 people were estimated to take part in this year’s celebration. Students at Savannah State University first initiated the event three decades ago, starting a tradition on Tybee Island to party during spring break. Opponents of the HBCU’s spring break custom typically critique the loud music, littering, and reckless behavior they attribute to the Black co-eds.

Furthermore, the aftermath has grown into a headache for city officials. Residents and leaders are left to deal with the trash surrounding the beach. These issues escalated last year, with a record number of over 100,0000 attendees swarming the island.

During 2023’s celebration, chaos allegedly erupted. The island’s limited resources spread thin as they dealt with drug overdoses, shootings, and other medical emergencies. To prevent the issues seen last year, law enforcement closed off major roads to force the party elsewhere. The strategy did minimize this year’s potential damage, but advocates still criticize the heavy policing of the HBCU students.

“Our weekends are packed with people all season, but when Orange Crush comes, they shut down the parking, bring extra police, and act like they have to take charge,” said Julia Pearce, leader of the Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization.

Despite the bubbling tension and some arrests made, many attendees returned on April 21 to help clean up the beach. The volunteers returned the following day to ensure the litter did not impact the coastline.

The effort to curb rowdy spring breakers also extended to Miami beach as well. After reckless behavior threatened the safety of residents, Miami attempted to “break up” with college vacationers.

While both efforts led to a reduction in violence, the parties have not stopped just yet. Orange Crush continues to be part of the HBCU’s spring break activities despite tensions still existing between the students and Tybee Island residents.