Miami Beach Commission Calls for Official End to Spring Break After 2023 Shootings

Spring break has historically brought unruly crowds to south Florida beaches, but after this year’s fatal shootings, the Miami Beach Commission has agreed to “end” spring break moving forward.

Spring break tends to overlap with Miami Music Week (MMW) and Ultra Music Festival, meaning attendees often feel the strain of spring break when visiting the Miami area. This year, threats of a curfew nearly canceled multiple MMW parties. Venues like M2 and Story were at risk of closing during Miami Music Week until the city voted against the curfew.

Although MMW crowds were safe from the spring break repercussions this year, the Miami Beach Commission has already taken proactive steps to ensure the locals or the MMW crowds aren’t negatively impacted by spring break in 2024.

Earlier this week, the office of Commissioner Alex J. Fernandez shared an email with the subject line “SHUTTING THE DOOR ON SPRING BREAK.” The email outlined proposals to end the spring break debauchery. One suggestion was to enact a curfew during the two busiest spring break weekends next March. 

The city commission also voted to shut down liquor sales early next March, although the final details of this order have not been confirmed. As Miami Music Week and Ultra normally occur toward the tail end of March, EDM fans should be in the clear of these spring break measures.

In addition to the two fatalities, nearly 500 arrests were made in Miami Beach during spring break 2023. More than half of those were felony arrests. It’s clear that spring break invites danger to Miami Beach residents and visitors. 

Another preventative measure for 2024 includes a plan to bring a “private event” to South Beach which would require attendees to be ticketed and subject to metal detectors. The idea is to make the Miami Beach area less attractive to spring break visitors.