PANAMA CITY BEACH — Spring Break 2015 officially kicks off this weekend and will build for the next few weeks, bringing thousands upon thousands of visitors to the shoreline, the clubs and resorts, the restaurants and other attractions across Bay County.
Panama City Beach has more than 27 miles of sugar-white sand along the Gulf of Mexico, but for the next four-plus weeks, it will be wall-to-wall people — all of them looking to have a good time. Luckily for them, there’s plenty happening.
“I’m anticipating 2015 to be a great year ... not just for Spring Break, but into the summer,” Bikini Beach Motel owner John Geesling told The News Herald recently. “We’re ahead for the year over the last couple of years. It’s really looking good.”
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The Beach Bash Music Fest at Sharky’s Beach Club runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, sponsored in part by Joose Margarita. It includes featured performers for ticketed events on what they assure us is “the largest stage on the beach.”
Many resorts offer specials and entertainment for registered guests only. Holiday Inn, for instance, will have a poolside Luau each Saturday for guests only, with free leis and grass skirts, a DJ, and food and drink specials
Two free concerts open to the general public already have been announced, featuring a country music star who has become a Spring Break mainstay over the past six years. However, Luke Bryan has stated that this year’s concerts will be his last as part of Spring Break.
“We are excited to announce that The King of Spring Break himself, Mr. Luke Bryan, will be returning for two, free all-ages shows on March 11 and 12,” Spinnaker Beach Club announced on its Facebook page. “This will be his seventh and final Spring Break appearance, coordinated with the release of his last Spring Break album, ‘Checkin’ Out,’ which debuts on March 10.”
Bryan announced the concerts personally on YouTube in January. They will take place at 4 p.m. March 11 and 12 at Spinnaker. (Read more about his concerts in next Friday’s Beach Insider pages.)
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Plenty of other artists are scheduled to perform during the height of Spring Break. Club La Vela, alone, has more than a dozen events planned, which it is promoting as “one of the biggest lineups” in its history.
The La Vela schedule includes: Bone Thugs & Harmony, Feb. 28; Far East Movement, March 3; GrandTheft & Slander, March 8; Woka Floka, March 9; Cash Cash, March 10; Borgore, March 12; Pegboard Nerds, March 13; Vicetone & Caked Up, March 15; Li’l Jon, March 16; T-Pain, March 17; Chainsmokers, March 19; Borgeous, March 20; Scooter & Lavelle, March 22; Juicy J, March 24; Shaggy, March 26; and Rae Sremmurd, March 31.
(See the calendar of events on Page 28-29 for details, times and tickets, or visit ClubLaVela.com.)
If you’d rather someone else handle the driving, the Spring Break Party Bus VIP Club Crawl (tickets available at PCBeachSpringBreak.com) will head out at 7 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday. Over the next seven hours, ticketholders will party at five hotspots — Hofbräu Beer Garden, the Tiki Bar at Sandpiper, Sharky’s, Runaway Island, and Harpoon Harry’s. Cost of the ticket covers the ride, all cover charges, a party guide, a free drink at each location, a souvenir T-shirt and wristband.
This ride is guaranteed to sell out, and advanced tickets are strongly suggested.
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
(In addition, though this doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with drinking, beachgoers should know that metal shovels are not permitted on the beach, and any holes dug in the sand should not be deeper than two feet.)
“All of the new rules have done nothing to deter these spring breakers,” Gheesling said. “They’re nice kids; they’re just down here to have fun.”
The beach vendors prepared for the massive influx of customers with a Spring Break Hospitality Workshop on Feb. 24, gathering business representatives, community leaders and law enforcement to promote best practices for alcohol sales, to raise staff awareness of potential issues, and to advise the local hospitality industry on recent changes to laws.
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“In preparation for Spring Break, we are pleased to work closely with our local hospitality community and raise awareness of recent local ordinance changes that will cultivate a more safe and enjoyable environment for our businesses and spring breakers alike,” said Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst, quoted in a news release.
The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association provided the training for vendors to learn about alcohol laws, how to avoid serving underage patrons, and preventing over-serving of patrons. The goal is to reduce underage alcohol sales and DUIs by increasing knowledge and professionalism among those selling and serving alcohol.
“As Florida’s premier provider of responsible alcohol vendor training, we are passionate about server and seller alcohol education,” said FRLA Vice President of Education and Training Geoff Luebkemann. “We are thrilled to partner with Panama City Beach government and business leaders to actively support a safe and memorable Spring Break season.
SAFE BREAK
- Know who and where your friends are. That is, travel with your entourage. Keep tabs on your friends, whether you’re in a club, walking the beach, or playing in the surf.
- Sunscreen is also your friend. It may not be hot out, but if there’s sun shining, then you need to use sunscreen. Even on overcast days, it’s possible to get a severe, painful sunburn.
- Keep hydrated. Drink plenty of water, and recognize the fact that alcohol consumption contributes to dehydration.
- Pay attention to the beach flag system. Those colorful flags you see at public access areas are there to warn you of surf conditions. A purple flag means there is dangerous sealife present (such as jellyfish). Yellow means to use caution as the surf is rough. Red means dangerous surf conditions exist and you should stay out of the water. Two red flags mean beaches are closed: Don’t swim, don’t even wade, because a dangerous current (undertow or riptide) could drag you out into the deeps and drown you.
- When it comes to partying, don’t lose your head. If you’re of legal age, and you decide to drink, then do so responsibly. Do not drink and drive, or drink and swim. Keep your ID with you. Don’t drink something offered to you by a stranger, and keep an eye on whatever you are drinking so no one has a chance to slip something bad into it. Stay off balconies if you’ve been drinking. Don’t walk along the strip if you’ve been drinking, as you could get hit by a car.
- Clean up after yourself. If you’re on the beach, that means putting your empties and other trash into the garbage cans.
On The Web:
- Social Bay: Keep up with the latest happenings on Spring Break and follow @PCNHSocial on Twitter for all things fun
- Visit NewsHerald.com and PanamaCity.com for Spring Break photo galleries and videos.
By the numbers:
- The estimated number of students on Spring Break in the U.S. & Canada in 2015 will be:
- Feb. 14-21: 627,249
- Feb. 21-28: 302,449
- Feb. 28-March 7: 1.18 million
- March 7-14: 2.97 million
- March 14-21: 2.17 million
- March 21-28: 865,365
- March 28-April 4: 166,270
- April 4-10: 169,436
- —Source: Collegiate Marketing Group