When Is Spring Break?

On the Road, Travel Destinations
on February 1, 2013
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A right of passage that every college-aged kid seeks to experience, spring break is a much-needed respite that offers permission to loosen up and relax. Whether you leave the area, chill out at home or visit family, spring break offers a rare chance at freedom. This special week varies from place to place and school to school. Find out when is spring break for you, so you have something to look forward to when the doldrums of winter have given you a serious case of cabin fever.

The origins of spring break

According to the New York Times, spring break evolved from a concerned parent of a Colgate University student in 1935. The worry was that the Colgate swim team would become out of shape and lose its edge during the Christmas break. Because this student’s father hailed from Fort Lauderdale. Fla., he suggested having the students take a break in the spring to head to that city to train at the new pool facilities. Word spread, and many students sought to experience the warm weather during a break from college.

The fun ended in the mid-'80s, however, when the residents of Fort Lauderdale were fed up with the students' damaging and rowdy behavior. The drinking age was set at 21 and was strictly enforced with military-style tactics like water cannons and riot tanks. City planning changed the cruisabilty of waterfront streets, and high-end restaurants and hotels were built as further discouragement.

Spring break today

With the surge in promiscuous, illegal and dangerous behavior, Fort Lauderdale demolished places like the Candy Store lounge and waged an all-out war against college students, hoping to bump them from the town forever. For the most part, the town’s efforts were successful — but spring break was not dead, it just relocated. Places further south like South Padre Island and Cancun Mexico popped up as refuges for winter weary co-eds. MTV broadcast yearly specials featuring spring breakers in exotic warm-weather locales.

These days, the fun has taken a turn for the philanthropic. Areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina and similarly troubled regions are also hotspots where students can go to help with cleanup and humanitarian aid. With all the options and potential for fun and good deeds, knowing when spring break will be is paramount.

So, when is spring break?

The average college takes a week during the spring season for its official spring break. The week can begin as early as the end of February to the end of April. For the most part, spring break is in March. You can search your school’s website for the student calendar for the year in question, and there are many helpful travel and tourism websites that also provide college spring break lists in hopes you may book with them for your spring break vacationing needs.