Organizers of the popular HBCU “Orange Crush” party are in discussion with local officials to tweak the event for 2024. Earlier this year, the celebration attracted over 50,000 people to Tybee Island, a small plot of coastal land near Savannah, Georgia.

Due to external pressures, the organizers are expected to pitch a more family-friendly version of the event to Mayor-Elect Brian West and other city officials. The reformed version would be modeled after Tybee Island’s Pirate Fest, an annual October celebration full of street vendors, music, and activities. Despite the tens of thousands of visitors for Orange Crush, there weren’t any actual activities planned.

The lack of things to do likely manifested in the increased crime during the event weekend. The Tybee Police Department reportedly arrested 18 people and distributed 37 traffic citations and 57 Code Enforcement violations. With so many people in such a confined space, something needed to be done.

“I made a commitment, before I even decided to run for mayor, I made a commitment in a podcast that this wasn’t going to happen again under my watch,” said Mayor-Elect West. “And I meant that, we’re not going to have an experience like we did last year.”

West also said that public events at Tybee Island are usually accompanied with bounce houses and face painting to really establish a family-friendly feeling. He also said that, unlike the Fourth of July where families are there to enjoy fireworks, the Orange Crush event brings “much riskier, more dangerous behavior,” hence the numerous violations and arrests.