VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Thousands of people, including college students, families and locals, descended on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on Saturday.
While it wasn’t the most ideal weather for beachgoers, crowds on College Beach Weekend 2022 picked up compared to Friday.
“It’s very cold. I did not check the weather before I came, but it’s still enjoyable," said Anaiya Dunston, a visitor from North Carolina. "It's a nice flow of people, but it’s not overcrowded.”
Overall, it hasn’t been as busy as city leaders expected. They prepared for approximately 30,000 college students to flock to the Oceanfront this weekend.
John Zirkle, president of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, described a fair amount of last-minute bookings that came through by Saturday. However, he didn't expect many more reservations going into Sunday.
Many of the Oceanfront stores and restaurants stacked up stock and staff for College Beach Weekend 2022.
Ashley Vestal, general manager of Dough Boy’s Pizza, said this is a benchmark for tourist season.
“For sure, this or Shamrock a couple of weeks ago, that was a big one," said Vestal. “Just really looking forward to the season and we want to get fully staffed as much as possible.”
And regardless of how many people visit the Oceanfront this weekend, patrols are ramped up.
Police say officers are watching surveillance cameras closely, and patrolling on foot or by car, horseback and bikes.
“It’s a lot of people of police walking around here. I see that they are ready in case something happens. I think that’s pretty cool," said Ariana Mills, who is visiting from Richmond.
In the past, College Beach Weekend typically fell later in April. The last one in 2018 and in previous years took a violent turn.
In an exclusive interview with 13NewsNow earlier this week, Police Chief Paul Neudigate promised swift action if any weapons violations or physical violence take place.
Moreover, city leaders told 13NewsNow there are other events, like sports tournaments, happening this weekend that could bump up crowd sizes at the Oceanfront.