Orange Crush, the infamous event that takes place annually on Tybee Island returned in full force last weekend with DJs, a fashion show and more. But what is it and why is Tybee Island the location of choice for college partiers?

Tybee Island, a predominately white beach, was officially desegregated in 1963. African American beach goers often felt scrutinized by Tybee locals and reported being heavily surveillanced by law enforcement. Kenneth Flowe, who organized the first Orange Crush, believed that having a beach bash on Tybee would be the perfect opportunity for Savannah State University students to have a spring break event while bringing about unity in a time when racial stigmas on the island were tense.

Orange Crush started in 1989 as a celebration by SSU students and was originally organized by the university. The name “Orange Crush” was coined from SSU’s bright orange color and is a comparison to the popular soda. 

In 1989, Savannah State was on the brink of merging with Armstrong State University due to lack of funding and no official school president. Some could even say that Orange Crush saved the school as the event sparked positive publicity and increased the school’s enrollment rate. 

However, the school broke ties with the event in 1991 after a dozen arrests were made alongside a stabbing and a drowning. Due to lack of official oversight and a growing number of attendees, the event has since been known to become chaotic with underage drinking, traffic jams and shootings. In recent years, the city has been increasingly putting more measures in place such as increased law enforcement and blocking off certain streets and parking spaces in order to avoid overcrowding.

The Orange Crush event has historically operated without a permit since 1991 and college partiers have been keeping the tradition alive through word of mouth.

This year, however, Tybee Island accepted organizer’s request to hold Orange Crush as an official event with respect to a few conditions:

• Georgia Police officers must be on site to provide the city with their certification numbers.
• Provision of an ambulance with an EMT on board in addition to the island’s ambulance service.
• A secured insurance liability with a policy limit no less than $1 million.
• A sanitation and clean-up plan.
• One main festival on the beach on Saturday, rather than a 3-day weekend featuring multiple venues.