As the sun set on Georgia’s most popular beach Saturday, the Orange Crush beach party was a celebration without the chaos.

Thousands of students and alumni of historically Black colleges and universities converged on Tybee Island Saturday for the unsanctioned bash that one attendee called the “new Freaknik.”

But instead of the clogged streets, fights on the beach and property damage that marked last year’s Orange Crush, the first 24 hours of the 2024 version had more of a college spring break vibe, with a steady traffic flow – albeit slow moving – scantily-clad young people, loud music and energetic dancing.

Tybee officials employed unprecedented traffic and public safety measures for beach bash, with more than 100 off-island law enforcement officers on hand to supplement the Tybee Police force. The increased policing included a Georgia State Patrol helicopter and several all-terrain vehicles from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Law enforcement had made 12 arrests, including nine for felonies, as of 3:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Tybee Interim City Manager Michelle Owens.

She called called attendees “orderly” and said safety measures put in place for the event accomplished their intended purpose. Officials closed three parking lots near the island’s most popular beach, prohibited parking along a part of U.S. 80 and blocked access to residential neighborhoods with barricades.

“Some people might perceive it as unwelcoming,” said Owens, herself a graduate of the local HBCU, Savannah State University. “I wish they would see it more as in order to be safe, you have to put these measures in place.”

The day was not without incidents, particularly once afternoon turned to evening. A motorist fleeing from the police along U.S. 80 collided with another vehicle, drove up on the sidewalk and led law enforcement on a high-speed chase before being apprehended. Another Orange Crush attendee was involved in an altercation in Tybee’s central business district and was being treated by emergency medical personnel. Details of the assault were not immediately available.

Last year, more than 100,000 partiers converged on the beach town over an April weekend, overwhelming the 3-square-mile island with traffic, parking and property damage issues.

A steady stream of Orange Crush attendees flowed onto the island throughout the day, including some early risers who said they’d gotten on the road as early as 6 a.m. to make the drive to the shore. Those partiers joined hundreds of others who arrive Friday for the weekend-long bash. Several attendees said they’d gotten on the road as early as 6 a.m. to make the drive to the shore.

Tybee business owners expressed mixed feelings about the onslaught of Orange Crush attendees. Most restaurants, bars and beachwear retailers were open throughout the morning and afternoon but many closed around 6 p.m.

Others didn’t open at all. Ricardo Ochoa, the owner of three Tybee businesses, opened only his bike rental shop on Saturday — and closed after lunch. He said Orange Crush’s reputation, the local government’s preparations for the event and the media coverage hurt business. He said he’s also experienced staffing shortages, with employees who live off-island hesitant to come to work because of the traffic.

“Our businesses are already lower than the same week last year,” said Ochoa, who operates a restaurant, Sea Wolf and the clothing retail store Wild Zinnia Beach Boutique in addition to the bike rental shop. “It has cost us several thousand dollars.”

Orange Crush began Friday afternoon, when hundreds of 20-somethings met at Tybee’s south beach by the pier wearing swimsuits, flip flops and Crocs. Several young men walked around holding large Bluetooth speakers blaring syncopated rap music.

Many of the women danced, gyrating and yelling out the song lyrics. Echoes of chants and cheers roared from all of the individual groups.

Others in town for Orange Crush played games like spades and Twister. Vendors pulling large coolers full of pouches of frozen cocktails for sale worked the sands.

For Precious Kaio, a junior from Atlanta who attends Georgia Southern University, coming to Orange Crush is a chance for college students to unwind from the stress of campus life and coursework.

“I’m just out here trying to have a good time before finals,” she said.

Faith Dixon, Kaio’s college classmate who’s also from Atlanta, stood nearby taking selfies. Dixon said Orange Crush gives them a chance to interact with their friends away from the confines of campus.

“Me and my friends are here just to have fun with our peers and to make some new connections,” Dixon said.

Reese Harvey, of Decatur, is at Orange Crush for the first time. He calls his time at Tybee Island “a getaway.”

“It gives me a chance to put my feet in the sand and have a little vacation,” Harvey, 23, said.

Orange Crush attendees weren’t the only beachgoers. A crowd of locals and visitors, most of them white and carrying surfboards and towels, congregated near the pier. Empty liquor bottles, beer cans, red Solo cups and Styrofoam boxes were scattered across the white sands.

Game wardens from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources worked the beach on all-terrain vehicles and under the pier on side-by-side vehicles. The game wardens were there to assist the Tybee police and ensure there was no fighting or disorderly conduct.

In Tybee’s business district, adjacent to the pier and beach, Orange Crush attendees walked from block to block sipping alcohol from open containers, which is legal in the beachside town.

Barricades and traffic cones lined Butler Avenue, Tybee Island’s main street and part of U.S. 80. Pairs of police officers, sheriffs and state troopers parked their cruisers facing opposite directions in the center of the street.

“It seems like the police are more prepared than last year because it was chaotic,” said Jamary Gresham, a 25-year-old Decatur native who’s attended Orange Crush two consecutive years. “Some people in the street were just doing anything they wanted like donuts in their cars. The beach was full, and it was crazy.”

Checkpoints and police traffic control vehicles marked the roads leading to Tybee Island, including on I-16, the highway that connects Savannah to Macon and most of the rest of Georgia. The increase in police presence has raised some concerns from attendees.

Harvey, the Decatur resident and first-time Orange Crush attendee, said the event is a great platform that promotes fun and Black joy.

“This brings Black youth as a community together,” Harvey said. “We can celebrate because it’s a part of the culture.”

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