Spring break weekend is a month away in South Mississippi

Hotel reservations already are filling up for this year's Biloxi Black Beach Weekend April 8-10.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.com for Friday- and Saturday-night concerts at the Coast Coliseum. Organizer Maurice Bryant of Gulfport said they added a party in Gulfport to close out the weekend and give the spring breakers something to do before they leave town.

Bryant and Derrian Burns, promotions manager for the event, don't know how many people to expect or just how large the economic impact will be for accommodations, restaurants and other businesses.

"It just depends on the weather how many people make the trip," Bryant said. Last year's crowd estimate was between 15,000 and 25,000 after the threat of bad weather prompted some

people to cancel. Many in the crowd drive four to five hours from neighboring states, he said. As the event isn't just for college kids, the age range is from 18 to 45 or 50.

"The event's really starting to pick up and get some buzz," Bryant said. People are booking a minimum of two night stays, he said, and calls for information are coming in from as far as Washington and Hawaii.

The schedule:

-- April 8, Official Black Beach Kickoff & Twerk Fest starts at 9 p.m. at Coast Convention Center, hosted by "Queen of Twerk" Lady Luscious.

-- April 9, Gates open at noon at Coast Coliseum for a crawfish boil and car and bike show. Main stage entertainment begins at 3 p.m., and is hosted by Dray Dolla

-- April 10, Spring Break Grand Finale starts at noon at Cabana Bar and Grill off Courthouse Road, Gulfport.

Hosting the main events at the Coast Coliseum gives participants the option of going back and forth between there and the beach, where they sun, socialize and grill.

"It's come a long way since the beginning when it was called Black Spring Break," Bryant said. The sites are secure, he said, parking is safe and the events are in a central location since he became the organizer.

"It's a much better overall event for the past three years," he said.

Biloxi Police Chief John Miller said his department works to coordinate with the organizer each year. One of the biggest impacts is the volume of traffic and pedestrians on U.S. 90 and Miller said, "We have a standard traffic plan we use for all of our events." Some turn lanes are closed and traffic will be directed around the congestion if necessary, he said.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Spring break weekend is a month away in South Mississippi ."