The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

State of emergency in Miami Beach extended to April 11 as spring breakers overwhelm the city

By
March 21, 2021 at 6:59 p.m. EDT
Miami Beach officials declared a state of emergency and implemented a curfew on March 20 in response to large crowds of spring break visitors. (Video: Joy Sung/The Washington Post, Photo: Marco Bello/The Washington Post)

As curfew struck and police moved to clear Miami Beach’s iconic Ocean Drive on Saturday, throngs of revelers stood shoulder to shoulder, packing the street. In footage captured by local media, people danced on top of cars, some clutching liquor bottles. One man threw out fistfuls of cash.

Then, with sirens blaring and the sound of pepper balls being fired, those in the crowd began to run, briefly causing a stampede.