Tybee Island city leaders have denied the first official permit request for next year’s Orange Crush, saying the three-day festival is too much for the island to handle right now, especially after last year’s storms damaged the beach.
Mayor Brian West said the island simply can’t handle three days of crowds right now, especially after significant beach erosion from last hurricane season. “We have half the beach that we had this year,” West explained. “If there’s no beach, there’s no permit.”
To complicate things further, two different people now claim to run Orange Crush. Trademark owner George Ramson Turner filed for the permit, but Steven Smalls, the festival’s former partner and current CEO, says Turner has no role in the event anymore. Each has submitted paperwork, and the city says only one can be approved.
Turner has already filed an appeal with Tybee, but city leaders say they will choose whichever organizer they believe can host the safest event—if any permit is granted at all.
Meanwhile, Tybee’s beach renourishment project won’t begin until late 2026, adding another hurdle for hosting large crowds on the sand anytime soon.
Whether Orange Crush will happen at all next spring remains up in the air, but for now, the city’s message is clear: Tybee needs time to recover.
