Travel

Wild Photos of Spring Break Partiers Through the Decades

Originally published on March 9, 2015

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Wes Walton of Lehigh University competes in the belly flop competition at The Candy Store. Walton won the contest, March 10, 1984 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Bob Mack/SF Sun Sentinel/Polaris)

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Wes Walton of Lehigh University competes in the belly flop competition at The Candy Store. Walton won the contest, March 10, 1984 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Bob Mack/SF Sun Sentinel/Polaris)

Spring break may be on hold again this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine rollout is well underway, perhaps a promising sign for safe travels next spring. But that doesn't mean we can't reminisce about the good old days, when illness was far from people's minds, and finding the best party was the top concern.

As the thaw of spring begins to spread across the country between late February and mid-April, hordes of U.S. university students typically flock to Floridian beaches and destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean to celebrate spring break. Alcohol flows freely as thousands of college students blow off steam.

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Though the idea may conjure images of bikini-clad 20-somethings and beer pong contests, springtime hedonism isn't a new thing. In fact, the tradition can be traced back 2,000 years to the Greek and Roman empires, when the arrival of spring was celebrated by honoring the gods of wine, Time reported. Spring fever has brought with it an urge to party for a very long time.

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U.S. college students began the springtime decent upon Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in the 1930s, according to Huffington Post. The town became known as the perfect place to welcome spring, as northern states are often battling the last few weeks of cold weather during college's scheduled spring breaks. The party became wilder every year, and, according to Time, by 1985, the town saw 370,000 students arriving for spring break annually. Ft. Lauderdale soon attempted a crack-down on the tradition, but spring breakers weren't about to give up that easily. They just moved the party destination.

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In recent years, students looking for spring break rowdiness often head to Panama City and Daytona Beach, Florida, as well as Cancun, Mexico.

View the slideshow above to see photos of spring breakers throughout the decades as we hope for a return to normalcy and wild social gatherings in the near future.

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