‘Worst I’ve ever seen it.’ Black Spring Break sees lightest crowd amid police presence

For the second year in a row, the stretch of Biloxi Beach that was once home to Black Spring Break is now reduced to small groups of people sitting along Beach Boulevard.

Black Spring Break this year ran from April 9 to 12, however the crowd of beachgoers that once dominated the stretch of Biloxi Beach from Edgewater Mall to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum was nowhere to be found. Instead, people either opted not to turn out for this year’s Black Spring Break or spent their time at the concerts and parties across other parts of the Gulf Coast.

“There’s been no crowd at all,” said Sgt. Candace Young, a public information officer for the Biloxi Police Department. Young also said that traffic flow was normal in Biloxi and was not affected by Black Spring Break.

Approximately 150 police officers from the Biloxi Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and Harrison County Patrol were deployed in addition to officers already on duty to manage the event. Police presence could be seen in patrol vehicles along Beach Boulevard, groups of officers walking up and down Biloxi Beach and a small police encampment at Edgewater Mall.

For LaWanda Ellis, who has come to Black Spring Break from Starkville since the ‘90s, attending the event this year “is really no fun” and “the worst I have ever seen it.”

“I understand that sometimes people don’t know how to act, but there’s a little too many police here for me,” Ellis said. “As you can see, nothing is happening, and they got police here for about 10,000 people, and it just really took it away.”

Ellis also felt that the police presence for Black Spring Break was different compared to how they have handled other major events along the coast. “It’s like Cruisin’ The Coast is more OK, because it’s more white,” Ellis said.

Bertrand Eason has come to the Gulf Coast for Black Spring Break for the past 10 years and shared a similar sentiment, saying “as far as the people of our culture, it seems every time we are gathered for an event we are limited. People don’t come out here to be harassed, people come out here to relax,” Eason said.

According to Young, the Biloxi Police Department does not treat Black Spring Break differently from other events. “Our plan is the exact same for all Tier 1 events,” Young said.

When it comes to the future of Black Spring Break, Young said they are hesitant to lower Black Spring Break from a Tier 1 event unless the decrease in attendance happens “for the next couple of years.” Lowering the event’s designation would include a lesser police presence, lighter traffic routes and the use of volunteer police officers.

Those looking to celebrate Black Spring Break can find events set up by organizers on various Facebook groups like Black Beach Weekend which promotes events happening throughout the weekend.

This story was originally published April 11, 2026 at 6:49 PM.