Tybee Island braces for Orange Crush festival after teen takeover shooting

Georgia’s Tybee Island plans to welcome back the controversial “Orange Crush” music festival this weekend as police prepare for thousands of revelers to flood the seaside town.

“THE BIGGEST HBCU BEACH BASH IS BACK! Official Dates April 17-19 Tybee Island,” reads a post on the Orange Crush Instagram page. “Concerts + Greeks + Parties + Car and Bike Show + Live Celebrities. More than 50 thousand people expected.”

This year’s main event, known as “Crush Reloaded,” is scheduled for Saturday with a music festival at the Tybee Island waterfront pier and pavilion.

In 2025, Georgia police made 22 arrests over the weekend as Tybee Island hosted partiers for the Orange Crush, a controversial college spring break party that brought violence and piles of trash to the previously quiet resort town. During the Orange Crush, there were 54 arrests in 2024 and 26 in 2023.

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The Tybee Island Police Department said in a statement that they are increasing enforcement during a time of increased youth takeovers that are disrupting the area for this year’s festival.

“Rest assured that we hear you and that public safety will always be our top priority.” Tybee Island Police Department Capt. Emory Randolph told Fox News Digital when asked about residents’ concerns about next weekend’s festivities.

Tybee Island Police Department and Georgia State Police made a total of 22 arrests and 22 traffic citations over the weekend. (© Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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“Stories of so-called ‘juvenile takeovers’ have emerged across the country in recent months,” Tybee Island police said in a Facebook post Tuesday. he said. “This incident came to our attention a week or so ago when an unauthorized event on the beach was disrupted by gunfire. Now, as we approach the return of Crush Reloaded, members of our local and online communities have voiced their concerns.”

Spring break party near the Tybee Island Pier during the Orange Crush on Tybee Island on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (© Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Starting Thursday, residents and guests will see “numerous law enforcement agencies from various state and local agencies converging on the island,” the police department said.

To maintain order, police are also opening a road safety checkpoint on Highway 80, opening emergency lanes on major roadways and closing parking lots at 14th and 16th Streets.

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“TIPD is committed to using every resource available to help keep our community safe,” said Captain Randolph. “Residents and guests can do their part by being courteous to each other, obeying the law, and following the instructions of all emergency personnel. By working together, we can continue to make the island a safer place to live, work, and play.”

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The move comes at a time when teen takeovers are spreading across the country. Last week, a group of teenagers participating in a takeover operation on Tybee Island were interrupted in panic after police said gunshots were heard along the pier.

Authorities responded to the incident around 6:30 p.m. on April 4, where hundreds of people had gathered near the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion area, a popular spot in the laid-back beach community, according to the Tybee Island Police Department.

WATCH: TYBEE ISLAND YOUTH PANICED AFTER POLICE SAID GUNSHOTS ALONG THE PIER

” in the processimpermissible, pop-up activity,” Officers said they heard a single gunshot and the crowd began to disperse.

The video shared by the department includes images of young people running away.

In past events, Orange Crush participants have littered parts of Tybee Island beach with sand and litter in the water. (© Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK)

In the early 1990s, Orange Crush had a reputation as a wild, crime-filled weekend, and Savannah State University disassociated itself from the event in 1991 due to numerous arrests and reports of violence.

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The event was moved to Jacksonville, Florida, three years ago “due to a lack of resources, limited parking, civil rights violations and political injustices,” according to a June 2021 news release. jacksonville.comquoted the event’s website. The website has since been taken down.

Activity Returned to Tybee Island in 2023 For the first time since 2020.