Overview
- Crush Reloaded drew a large beach crowd to Tybee Island on Saturday, with the city manager estimating about 30,000 attendees.
- Police from several agencies ran checkpoints on Highway 80, kept emergency lanes open, and shut the 14th and 16th Street lots, while Georgia State Patrol stopped drivers on I-95 and I-16 headed to the island.
- The ticketed area by the pier stayed sparse for hours even after prices were cut, and organizer Steven Smalls opened the gates for free near 5 p.m. as many listened from outside the barricades.
- Smalls said about 6,000 tickets were reserved and that staging the festival costs $80,000 to $90,000, while two Friday events brought in about $20,000.
- City leaders said traffic moved better than in past years and may adjust parking and offer rides next time, a strategy sharpened after an April 4 unpermitted gathering at the pier scattered when police heard a single gunshot.