Introduction
Last week you were sitting in a hard uncomfortable chair in the cold barrenness of a massive lecture hall, likely trying- but failing- to pay attention to the information your professor has been droning on and on about for the past hour. This instruction will likely be in your next midterm, however, your mind is far too preoccupied to let that persuade you to pay attention. Today, on the other hand, you’re at the beach, the unholy heat of the scorching sun blazing down at you while you find yourself surrounded by hundreds of intoxicated strangers, all gathering for the same purpose. The thoughts of your professor, exams, papers, and school alike have left a while ago, all left behind in the confines of your college campus. It’s spring break after all and after the debilitating pressures of both the fall and first half of spring semester, you deserve your time in the sun to party, drink, hook up, and make poor choices.
Spring break is a time of year that has become synonymous with relaxation, travel, and revelry for college students across the United States. But where did this tradition come from? The history of spring break is a fascinating tale of cultural evolution, economic changes, and shifting social attitudes. From its early beginnings as a quiet academic recess to its current status as a massive cultural phenomenon, the story of spring break is a reflection of our society's values, aspirations, and desires. In this essay, we will explore the history of spring break, tracing its origins and development over time, and examining the cultural, social, and economic forces that have shaped this beloved American tradition.
The origin of spring break
Despite its connotations today, the beginnings of the concept of spring break started quite innocently in 1936 with Colgate University swim coach Sam Ingram. According to an article by Fordham University's Aurora Pfefferkorn, the introduction of “Florida’s first Olympic sized swimming pool”(1) had prompted Ingram to gather his team and take them on a trip to Fort Lauderdale as a form of training. This began a team tradition, and eventually, by 1938 larger groups caught on, prompting the creation of the swim forum event in Fort Lauderdale. This event consisted of over 300 swimmers and coaches, who had flocked to Florida in order to train, compete and socialize (4).
Figure 1: Photograph of 1938 Swim Forum
However, despite the main intention of this forum being to incentivize teams to participate in this swimming event, while swimmers were not training, they would instead hit the beach and party(5). Eventually, in the coming years, wind of this behavior would catch on, and in preparation for this event, local businesses would take advantage of the influx of swimmers by capitalizing on the opportunity. According to an article from onlineschools.org (2), businesses began offering specials such as “all-you-can-drink beer for $1.50,” which would later cause the town to gain the nickname “Ft. liquordale'' in anticipation of the swim forum event.
A growing phenomenon
The 1950s and 60s saw the rapid growth of the spring break phenomenon as we know it today. The introduction of air travel made it easier and more affordable for college students to travel to warm-weather destinations, and the post-war economic boom meant that more and more young people had the disposable income to do so (2). During this time, Florida emerged as the premier spring break destination, with cities like Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach attracting huge crowds of college students each year. This rapid growth was due in part to the growing representation of the spring break phenomenon in mass media, which would incentivize college students to flock to certain locations to have similar experiences. One of the most popular depictions of spring break came from the movie "Where the Boys Are" in 1960. The movie follows the lives of four college students on spring break in Ft Lauderdale who are searching for love, and end up finding it over the course of the film. The film popularized the idea of a beach vacation for college students, particularly in warm destinations like Florida. The film's depiction of young people having fun, partying, and falling in love during spring break resonated with audiences and helped to create a sense of excitement and anticipation around the vacation period. The success of the film also led to the creation of other spring break-themed movies and TV shows, which further contributed to the cultural phenomenon of spring break.
Figure 2: Poster for 1960 movie Where the Boys Are
Figure 3: Trailer for 1960 movie "Where the Boys Are
Where the Boys are (1960) was credited as the first appearance of Spring Break in popular culture, and the year following its release, over 50,000 students flocked to Fort Lauderdale, in search of similar experiences.
Figure 4: Footage from 1985 Fort Lauderdale Spring Break
A Crazy Turn
Within the following years of the release of Where the boys Are, spring break attendance in Fort Lauderdale had risen from 50,000 to an estimated 370,000 by 1986, with approximately $120 million being spent on the festivities in the city alone (1).
However, while Spring Break had started out innocently enough as college kids traveling to warm destinations in search of a good time, the influx of intoxicated young adults had brought about its fair share of issues. With the growth in attendance, led to the growth of uncontrollable rowdy behavior (3). With drinking, drug use, and partying becoming more and more prevalent. Local authorities struggled to keep up with the crowds. Reports of fights, vandalism, and criminal activity were rampant, and was only fueled by the production of mass media depictions of Spring Break.
Figure 5: News article from The Princetonian depicting the chaos of Fort Lauderdale spring break in which 12 people were arrested for inciting a riot
By 1986, Fort Lauderdale was unable to contain the amount of intoxicated college students gathering to the beach and that year alone, rowdy behavior led to at least 2,500 student arrests (2). After the rowdy spring break of 1986, the city of Fort Lauderdale took measures to control the influx of students and the rowdy behavior that had become associated with the annual college vacation. The city began by imposing stricter laws and regulations on things like drinking and partying, and increased police patrols and surveillance in popular spring break areas- “Drinking on the beaches was prohibited, and students were informed that they were no longer welcome to the city.” They also launched a massive public relations campaign designed to discourage students from coming to Fort Lauderdale for spring break, emphasizing the potential dangers and negative consequences of excessive partying and drinking (6).
Figure 6: 2023 Spring Break rules posted from the City of Fort Lauderdale
MTV Spring Break
Nevertheless, while spring break became banned in Fort Lauderdale, and the number of students coming to the city for spring break decreased significantly in the following years, spring breakers had already begun to flock to neighboring beach cities to continue in the festivities. Namely, Daytona Beach and Panama City in Florida, as well as other countries such as Mexico, began to increase in popularity.
As Spring Break became more and more popular, its depiction in the media had similarly begun to increase, with corporations trying to profit off the growing phenomenon. One of the most infamous depictions of Spring Break comes from the creation of MTV’s Spring Break special, which coincidentally began in 1986 in Daytona Beach Florida (1).
The week-long event was a mix of live music performances, beach parties, and various games and competitions. Popular MTV VJs such as Martha Quinn, Alan Hunter, and Downtown Julie Brown hosted the festivities, and there were appearances by various celebrity guests. The event also featured a number of promotions with sponsors. Brands such as Pepsi and Budweiser were featured prominently in the coverage, similarly capitalizing on the phenomenon that was becoming known. The MTV Spring Break of 1986 was a huge success, drawing massive crowds and setting the template for the network's future coverage of the event. It also helped to cement the idea of spring break as a cultural phenomenon. According to an article by Dave Roos describing the history of spring break, “By the mid-1990s, MTV's annual skinfest had become a cultural institution, showcasing live musical performances and lots of Carmen Electra in a bikini from spring break destinations like Cancun, Jamaica and (for some reason) Lake Havasu, Arizona(1).”
Figure 7: Real footage from MTV Spring Break 1986 special
Figure 8: MTV Spring Break 1986 poster
MTV Spring Break had a significant impact on spring break culture, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. The annual televised event drew massive crowds of young people, who came to participate in the live music performances, beach parties, and other festivities. The event also helped to popularize certain spring break destinations, such as Cancun, Mexico and Panama City Beach, Florida, which became synonymous with the MTV Spring Break experience. The network's coverage of spring break also contributed to the sense of anticipation and excitement around the annual college vacation, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch the festivities from home.
MTV Spring Break spawned several spin-offs over the years, which capitalized on the popularity of the annual event and offered viewers additional opportunities to indulge in the spring break experience. One of the most notable spin-offs was MTV's Summer Beach House, which aired in the mid-1990s as well as MTV's The Grind Spring Break, which combined the network's signature dance show with the party atmosphere of spring break. In the 2000s, MTV introduced a number of reality shows that were set during spring break, including The Real World: Cancun and Jersey Shore, which followed a group of young adults as they navigated the party scene in popular spring break destinations.
Figure 9: MTV Spring Break, " Summer Beach House" spin off poster
Figure 10: Images of popularity of Atlanta's "Freaknik" tradition
Freaknik
The phenomenon of spring break had spawned similar traditions, particularly in the black college student population in the southeastern United States during the 1980s and 1990s. The creation of “Freaknik” began in 1983 as a picnic for students who were stuck on campus during spring break and were looking for an alternative to the predominantly white spring break destinations like Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach. The first Freaknik was held in Atlanta in 1983, and it quickly grew in popularity, drawing thousands of young people to the city each year. The event was characterized by its lively street parties, music, dancing, and a celebratory atmosphere that emphasized black culture and identity. The popularity of Freaknik continued to grow throughout the 1990s, and the event became a major cultural phenomenon. While “Freaknik” had originally began as a small get together, it would eventually become, “THE Spring Break destination for black college students (3).”
However, similar to Fort Lauderdale, local authorities would grow tired of the rambunctious behavior this would cause in the city, and as a result, would begin to crack down on the event. By 1999, due to bans on cruising in the city, Freaknik would fizzle out.
Spring Break Today
Spring break today is different from how it was in the past in a number of ways. While the annual college vacation still draws large crowds of students to popular destinations like Cancun, Miami, and Panama City Beach, there has been a shift away from the wild, party-heavy atmosphere that once defined spring break. In recent years, there has been more emphasis on responsible behavior and safety, with many destinations implementing stricter laws and regulations to prevent excessive drinking, drug use, and other dangerous behavior. Fort Lauderdale continuously imposes bans on Spring Breakers as well as cities such as Atalanta and Daytona Beach. Additionally with the rise of Covid-19, bans on travel severely prohibited the wild nature of Spring break from truly coming into fruition in recent years. Many destinations implemented restrictions and safety measures in an effort to control the spread of the virus and as a result, traditional spring break hotspots like Cancun and Miami saw a decrease in the number of visitors, a far cry from the massive event held from the 1960s to early 2000s. Many colleges and universities had also discouraged or outright banned travel for spring break, with some schools opting to hold virtual events or alternative activities instead (8)
Additionally, The depictions of spring break within the media had also taken a turn, focusing less on the romanticization of it, and more on cautionary tales of advice for those who go too far in spring break. The movie Spring Breakers, which was released in 2012, depicts the darker side of spring break. Directed by Harmony Korine, it follows the spring break of four college girls who rob a restaurant to fund a wild spring break trip in Florida. And, rather than the fun, wild break they were expecting, the girls ultimately go on a journey filled with criminal activity that leaves them yearning to return home. This depiction is a far cry from the romanticism of Where the Boys are, and has led to a contrasting impact in Spring Break culture.
Figure 11: Trailer for 2012 film "Spring Breakers"
Bibliography
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Writers, Staff. “The Story behind Spring Break.” OnlineSchools.org. onlineschools.org, April 15, 2022. https://www.onlineschools.org/visual-academy/spring-break/#:~:text=The%20concept%20of%20spring%20break,can%2Ddrink%20beer%20for%20%241.50
Roos, Dave. “A Quick and Dirty History of Spring Break.” HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, March 16, 2018. https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/quick-and-dirty-history-spring-break.htm.
John, Uncle. “History of Spring Break.” Portable Press, March 27, 2014. https://www.portablepress.com/blog/2014/03/history-of-spring-break/
Roustan, Wayne, and Tyler Chatham. “Video: A Historic View of Spring Break.” Daily Press, April 5, 2019. https://www.dailypress.com/fl-dubious-history-spring-break-story-story.html .
Connelly, Eileen AJ. “Fort Lauderdale Party Spot Bans Spring Breakers.” New York Post. New York Post, March 6, 2021. https://nypost.com/2021/03/06/fort-lauderdale-party-spot-bans-spring-breakers/.
Elliott, Angel. “The Oral History of Freaknik.” Complex. Complex, April 11, 2023. https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2023/04/the-oral-history-of-freaknik
“How Coronavirus Could Change Spring Break for Students | Miami Herald.” Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article240876371.html.
“Where the Boys Are (1960) - Trailer.” YouTube. YouTube, October 11, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKyZKNNWngo.
“Spring Breakers | Official Trailer HD | A24.” YouTube. YouTube, January 18, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imDML4om8z8&themeRefresh=1
“MTV Spring Break 1986 - Starship Live in Daytona Beach, Florida.” YouTube. YouTube, October 15, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8-6mSIVfXE
Victoria was born in Florida before immediately moving and spending the first 5 years of her life in Haiti. She then proceeded to move to New York where she would spend her formative years. However, this was not all the moving she did as when it became time to advance on to college, she would make her way to Boston, Massachusetts to attend BU while her parents would leave New York and settle for hopefully the last time in the state of Connecticut. Her love of science began in the 8th grade with her favorite science teacher and it influenced her to pursue it in college on a pre med track- the pre med coming from her mom being a nurse. Victoria hates cold weather despite attending college in Boston and would much rather enjoy a nice warm sunny day outside.