Tybee Island awards conditional permit to same Orange Crush organizer for second consecutive year

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The City of Tybee Island has awarded a conditional permit for Orange Crush to the same organizer for the second consecutive year, marking a continued shift toward official oversight of the historically unpermitted beach gathering.

Steven Smalls, who organized last year’s permitted event, received approval to host this year’s event. City leaders said Smalls’ track record made him the logical choice for the permit.

“We permitted because, first, we thought we had a good partner to work with. And second, we wanted to bring predictability to an event that has been very unpredictable through the years,” said Bret Bell, Tybee Island city manager.

Competing permit application denied

Another promoter, George Turner, who previously worked with Smalls, applied for a permit for the weekend of April 11, a week before Smalls’ planned event. The city says two Orange Crush events would not be feasible.

“We don’t think there’s a path forward to have two different Orange Crush events, either on the same day or on different days. It’s historically held the same weekend every year, around April 20th for about 40 years,” Bell said.

Event rebranded as “Crush Reloaded”

Smalls said last year’s partnership with the city taught him valuable lessons about event management. The event will be renamed “Crush Reloaded” and is scheduled for April 18.

“I’m coming in with structure and trying to get the whole weekend as a whole together because it’s not just Tybee. Tybee is the main focus. That’s the epicenter of it. But it’s a whole weekend of people there. So I want to organize the whole weekend so people are not just, like, gathered around in the streets looking for something to do. I think that’s where the chaos comes in at, without organization,” Smalls said.

Orange Crush drew heavy criticism in previous years as an unpermitted event that raised safety concerns. The city’s partnership with Smalls represents a second year of official oversight for the beach gathering.

“I’m really ready to rock and roll,” Smalls said.