Orange Crush Festival® 2026 — Official Dates Updated to April 10–12

The official Orange Crush Festival® 2026 will take place April 10–12. All previous event listings showing April 17–19 are outdated.

Orange Crush Festival 2026 dates, April 10–12, official Orange Crush weekend, updated event schedule

“Why April 10–12 Is the Historic Orange Crush® Weekend — And April 17–19 Is ‘Crush Reloaded™’ Aftermath Weekend”

For over a decade, Orange Crush® has organically divided into two separate spring-break weekends, each with its own history and identity.

But only one of those weekends is the historic, original, long-standing cultural date:

🟧

APRIL 10–12 — The Original, Historic Orange Crush® Weekend

Unpermitted for years, but ALWAYS the real one students traveled for

Pending official permit approval for 2026

This is the weekend that:

• HBCUs historically traveled for

• Alumni have recognized since the early 2000s

• Students posted, hashtagged, and scheduled around

• Coastal Georgia businesses prepared for

• The public always associated with Orange Crush®

• Authorities identified as the “natural” Orange Crush® weekend regardless of permits

Even in years without formal authorization:

APRIL 10–12 has always been the real Orange Crush® weekend.

That is why:

🔸 2026 Permit Application Submitted for April 10–12

The trademark owner has now formally filed for official approval of the authentic weekend.

This preserves the culture AND protects the city.

🟧

APRIL 17–19 — The Second Wave (“Crush Reloaded™”)

The Aftermath Weekend Created by Overflow & Demand

This weekend is:

• NOT the historic Orange Crush® weekend

• NOT the original cultural date

• Not the traditional HBCU travel week

• NOT recognized as the official event

Instead, it formed naturally as an overflow / aftermath weekend starting around 2014–2016, when huge crowds extended their trips or returned for a Round 2.

That second weekend eventually became known as:

🎉

CRUSH RELOADED™

The AFTERSHOCK EVENT

A second wave created by momentum from the REAL weekend.

And in 2026:

🔸 Crush Reloaded™ is fully controlled by the trademark owner

NOT imitators.

NOT opportunists.

NOT unlicensed promoters.

This ensures:

• Safety

• Authentic branding

• Better crowd management

• No confusion

• No unauthorized exploitation