Decoder Ring | Spring Break Forever

Apr 9, 2025

Alan Hunter, a former MTV VJ and iconic voice of Spring Break, shares insights on this cultural phenomenon. The discussion traces the origins of Spring Break from Fort Lauderdale to Daytona Beach, exploring its evolution and the impact of MTV on youth culture. Hunter reflects on the chaotic yet vibrant atmosphere of live broadcasts and how they shaped perceptions of college life. The conversation culminates in examining Spring Break's transformation into a commodified experience influenced by social media, highlighting both its nostalgic allure and modern challenges.

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ANECDOTE

Origins of Spring Break

Spring Break originated with Colgate's swim team's Christmas training trip to Fort Lauderdale in 1934.
The warm-weather training spread to other students, shifting to spring break instead of Christmas.

ANECDOTE

Where the Boys Are Impact

The 1960 film Where the Boys Are popularized the idea of Spring Break as a ritual of sexual liberation for college girls.
The film's success drew 50,000 students to Fort Lauderdale, solidifying its Spring Break status.

INSIGHT

Fort Lauderdale's Crackdown

Spring Break attendance swelled, peaking at 350,000 in Fort Lauderdale in 1985, leading to resident complaints.
The city cracked down, resulting in fewer Spring Breakers. This action inadvertently paved the way for Daytona Beach to become the new Spring Break hotspot.

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The infamous annual ritual of spring break—where thousands of college students head to the same warm location and go crazy—can seem like it’s always been here. But it hasn’t. The spring break phenomenon is a holdover from midcentury teen culture that has endured by changing, just enough, to be passed from one generation to the next. In this episode we’re going from the beaches of Fort Lauderdale to Daytona, from the movie screen to the TV set, from MTV to Instagram reels, from its start to its surprisingly recognizable present, as we follow the evolving, self-reinforcing rite that is spring break.

You’ll hear from former MTV staffers Doug Herzog, Salli Frattini, Alan Hunter, and Joe Davola, along with John Laurie, Kaylee Morris, and Slate writer Scaachi Koul.

This episode was written by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd and produced by Katie. It was edited by Evan Chung, Decoder Ring’s supervising producer. Our show is also produced by Max Freedman. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.

Thank you to Bob Friedman and Allan Cohen, producers of Spring Broke; David Cohn, Derreck Johnson, and Ivylise Simones.

If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, please email us at DecoderRing@slate.com, or leave a message on our hotline at 347-460-7281.

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Sources for This Episode

Koul, Scaachi. “From ‘Girls Gone Wild’ to ‘Your Body, My Choice’,” Slate, Dec. 13, 2024.

Laurie, John. “Spring Break: The Economic, Socio-Cultural and Public Governance Impacts of College Students on Spring Break Host Locations,” University of New Orleans Dissertation, Dec. 19, 2008.

Mormino, Gary R. Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida, University Press of Florida, 2008.

Schiltz, James. “Time to Grow Up: The Rise and Fall of Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale,” The Florida Historical Quarterly, Fall 2014.

Spring Broke, dir. Alison Ellwood, Bungalow Media + Entertainment, 2016.

Thompson, Derek. “2,000 Years of Partying: The Brief History and Economics of Spring Break,” The Atlantic, March 26, 2013.

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