{"id":203553,"date":"2026-03-24T06:21:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T06:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/203553\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T06:21:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T06:21:32","slug":"how-did-the-second-big-friday-of-miami-beach-spring-break-go-take-a-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/203553\/","title":{"rendered":"How did the second big Friday of Miami Beach spring break go? Take a look"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Miami<\/a>Sat, March 21, 2026 at 6:29 PM UTC<\/p>\n

It rained for much of last weekend, the first so-called \u201cpeak weekend\u201d of spring break in Miami Beach this year.<\/p>\n

But even when the sun came out, crowds seemed much thinner<\/a> than in years past, although a fitness event<\/a> did bring visitors from across the country.<\/p>\n

From March 2 to March 17, Miami Beach police reported making 168 arrests within the \u201cspring break zone\u201d that spans most of South Beach. During roughly the same time period in 2024, there were 274 arrests<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Police spokesman Christopher Bess said arrests were down 20% compared to prior periods, owing to a heavy police presence, the use of \u201cadvanced technology\u201d and coordination among local law enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile activity has remained relatively uneventful, our officers continue to operate with vigilance,\u201d Bess said in an email. \u201cAs Spring Break progresses, we will maintain an elevated state of readiness to ensure the continued safety and security of our community and its visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Take at look at the scene from Friday night in South Beach:<\/p>\n

Dancing and praying\"Women<\/p>\n

Women dance along Ocean Drive as a group prays with the God Squad, an interfaith prayer team of volunteers for the Miami Beach Police Department. They serve as goodwill ambassadors during spring break in South Beach, Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)Champagne tastes\"Niy<\/p>\n

Niy Banks of Delaware balances a bottle of champagne on her head as she parties with friends on South Beach during spring break in Miami Beach, Florida on Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)That selfie moment\"Lea<\/p>\n

Lea Smith of South Carolina takes a selfie on the shore of South Beach during spring break in Miami Beach, Florida, on Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)Hot wheels\"A<\/p>\n

A retro car makes a statement on South Beach’s Ocean Drive during spring break in Miami Beach, Florida, on Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)Hot wheels, 2\"A<\/p>\n

A roller skater skates along Ocean Drive during spring break in South Beach on Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)\"Roller<\/p>\n

Roller skaters skate along Ocean Drive during spring break in South Beach, Miami Beach, Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)Soccer on the sand\"Omar<\/p>\n

Omar Mutau kicks a soccer ball as fellow New York University students Zain Smith and Abdullah Duli, left to right, enjoy spring break on South Beach in Miami Beach, Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)Navigating the streets\"Traneicia<\/p>\n

Traneicia Johnson, a student at Palm Beach State College, crosses Eighth Street on Ocean Drive with her friends, Naomi Cadet of FSU and Day Cooper of FAMU, seen left to right, during spring break on South Beach, Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)Prayers for the people\"A<\/p>\n

A woman waits to cross Ocean Drive as a group prays with the God Squad, an interfaith prayer team of volunteers for the Miami Beach Police Department in South Beach, Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)Police patrols\"Miami<\/p>\n

Miami Beach police officers patrol Ocean Drive during spring break in South Beach, Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)\"Hialeah<\/p>\n

Hialeah police officers patrol Ninth Street and Ocean Drive during spring break in South Beach, Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)\"Police<\/p>\n

Police officers patrol Ocean Drive as they ride by the Clevelander South Beach Hotel during spring break on Friday, March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ\/adiaz@miamiherald.com)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sat, March 21, 2026 at 6:29 PM UTC It rained for much of last weekend, the first so-called…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[93598,123,1642,125,124,93599,12094,28869,41470],"class_list":["post-203553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-christopher-bess","tag-miami","tag-miami-beach","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-peak-weekend","tag-police-presence","tag-police-spokesman","tag-spring-break"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}