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Tybee Island, Georgia, plans to welcome back the controversial “Orange Crush” music festival this weekend, as police battle thousands of revelers to flood the beach town.
“THE BIGGEST HBCU BEACH BASH IS BACK! Official Dates April 17-19TH Tybee Island,” a post on Orange Crush’s Instagram page read. “Concerts + Greeks + Parties + Car & Bike Show + Live Celebrities. More than 50k people expected.”
Known as “Crush Reloaded” this year, the big event is scheduled for Saturday with a music festival at the Tybee Island beach pier and pavilion.
In 2025, Georgia police arrested 22 people over the weekend as Tybee Island welcomed people who attended Orange Crush, a controversial school break that has brought violence and piles of trash to the peaceful town. 54 arrests were made during Orange Crush in 2024 and 26 in 2023.
FAMOUS GEORGIA BEACH TOWN GOES ‘ORANGE CRUSH’ FIGHT, Riot, Video Shows
Spring Break Dance on Saturday, April 19, 2025 during Orange Crush on Tybee Island (Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News/USA TODAY NETWORK)
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The Tybee Island Police Department said in a statement that they will enforce the law during this year’s festival as there is a high number of young people attacking the region.
“Be assured that we hear you and that public safety will always be our top priority,” Tybee Island Police Department Captain Emory Randolph said this in a statement sent by Fox News Digital when he was asked about the residents’ concerns about the upcoming weekend celebrations.
The Tybee Island Police Department and Georgia State Police made 22 arrests and 22 traffic counts over the weekend, (© Richard Burkhart/ Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
POLICE ATTACK ORANGE CRUSH ISLAND HOT SPOT, WARN OF YOUNG PEOPLE AS BEACH BASH MADNESS RETURNS
“In recent months, stories of so-called ‘youth abductions’ have surfaced across the country,” Tybee Island police said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “This happened about a week ago, when an illegal event at the beach was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Now, as we approach the return of Crush Reloaded, members of our local and online communities have expressed concern.”
Spring break party near the Tybee Island Pier on Saturday, April 20, 2024 during Orange Crush on Tybee Island. (© Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Starting Thursday, the police department said, residents and visitors will see “a large number of police officers from various federal and local agencies converging on the island.”
To maintain order, police also launched a road safety checkpoint on Highway 80, asked for emergency routes on highways and closed the 14th and 16th Street parking lots.
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“TIPD is committed to using all available resources to help ensure the safety of our community,” said Captain Randolph. “Residents and visitors can do their part by being kind to each other, obeying the law, and following the directions of all emergency personnel. Working together, we can continue to make the island an even safer place to live, work, and play.”
WATCH: Teen’s kidnapping in Georgia caught on camera
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The move came as youth abduction events spread across the country. Last week, dozens of youths participating in a takeover on Tybee Island were disturbed by panic after police said shots were fired near the street.
According to the Tybee Island Police Department, authorities responded around 6:30 p.m. on April 4, when hundreds of people gathered near the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion area, which is a popular area for the beach community.
WATCH: TYBEE ISLAND TEEN CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AFTER POLICE SAY GUNS SHOT NEAR ISLAND
During the “an unauthorized, spontaneous event,“The police said they heard one shot, and the crowd dispersed.
A video shared by the department captured dozens of youths running away.
Orange Crush attendees at past events have spilled parts of the Tybee Island beach and trash into the sand and water. (© Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK)
In the early 1990s, Orange Crush had a reputation for being a crime-ridden weekend, and Savannah State University withdrew from the event in 1991 due to the high number of arrests and reports of violence.
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Three years ago, the event moved to Jacksonville, Florida, “due to lack of facilities, limited parking, human rights violations and political injustice,” according to a June 2021 story on Jacksonville.com, citing the event’s website. The database is down.
The event returned to Tybee Island in 2023 for the first time since 2020.
