Woman shot, 7 hurt in car crash: Orange Crush Festival turns chaotic as almost 50K descend on Tybee Island

According to the police, almost 12,000 cars thronged the venue leading to traffic snarls

PUBLISHED APR 25, 2023

It was utter pandemonium at Orange Crush Festival this year as a woman was shot and seven were injured in a car crash (WJCL News/screengrab)

TYBEE ISLAND, GEORGIA: It was utter pandemonium at this year's Orange Crush Festival on Tybee Island as almost 50,000 people attended the beach bash on Saturday, April 22. Police officers were swamped by the huge crowd which led to a number of problems, including bumper-to-bumper traffic, seven people injured in a car crash and a woman shot in the back.

The woman sustained injuries and no fatalities were reported. Orange Crush Festival, a popular unpermitted event which sees thousands of HBCU students in attendance, returned to Tybee Island after being relocated to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, two years ago.

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Chaos descended on Georgia's Tybee Island as more than 50,000 loud and boozy party goers danced and went wild at the Orange Crush party (WJCL News/Screengrab) — Chaos descended on Georgia's Tybee Island as almost 50,000 drunk party-goers descended on the island (WJCL News/Screengrab)

Chaos descends on Tybee Island

During the festival, almost 12,000 vehicles and between 40,000 to 50,000 people thronged the island, "causing high volumes of gridlock, traffic accidents, crowding, drug and alcohol abuse, noise complaints, illegal parking and litter," per WJCL News. Neighboring Wilmington, Whitemarsh and Talahi islands were also affected by the festival. The seven people involved in the car crash on Highway 80 were taken to a hospital.

The Orange Crush event that is held annually drew students from HBCU students, an annual unpermitted event ( — The Orange Crush event that is held annually attracts thousand of HBCU students (WJCL News/Screengrab)

'We will work on better solutions'

Stating that it was "fortunate that no lives were lost and no property destroyed," Mayor Shirley Sessions said, "This year’s event was admittedly too large and chaotic." She added, "Because Tybee Island is a public beach, we are limited in what we can do to control this event. However, going forward, we will work on better solutions." She said that state and federal legislators expressed their interest in lending a hand in preparations for the event in future.

What is the significance of Orange Crush festival?

The Orange Crush festival began in 1988 and has since largely taken place on Tybee Island. Initially, Savannah State University sponsored the festival but the school decided to stop doing so in 1991 after reports of a dozen arrests, a stabbing and a drowning. The official Orange Crush Festival trademark is owned by George Ransom Turner III, the founder and promoter of Orange Crush Live, who usually organizes the festival.

In 2021, Turner relocated the festival to Jacksonville, Florida, citing “a lack of resources, limited parking, civil rights violations, and political injustices,” as per Savannah Now. This was considered a break in tradition as the festival was being held on Tybee Island for 30 years.