Step back in time to the golden era of Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach — when the sun was hot, the surf was cool, and the parties never seemed to end. These vintage photos capture the energy, fashion, and fun of a time when Fort Lauderdale was the undisputed Spring Break capital of the world.
Robert Azmita / Sun Sentinel
College students from Northeastern University pile up on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Robert Azmitia / Sun Sentinel
College students hang out on Fort Lauderdale Beach for Spring Break 1984.
Carl Seibert, Sun Sentinel
A couple enjoys Spring Break on the beach in Fort Lauderdale in 1980.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel file photo
Police monitor Spring Break activities at the corner of A1A and E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale
Bob East III, Sun Sentinel
A group of students grill dinner outside of the Blarney Castle Motel in Fort Lauderdale during Spring Break 1977.
Rich Mahan / Sun Sentinel
A college student enjoys a beer on top of a motor home during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
Robert Azmitia, Sun Sentinel
College students fill Fort Lauderdale Beach during Spring Break 1984.
Susan Stocker / Sun Sentinel
Students from Canada enjoy Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel
Spring Break attendees party on the corner of A1A and E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel
Spring Break students are cooled off with a hose from the stage at The Button in Fort Lauderdale.
Rich Mahan / Sun Sentinel
Students party at The Button during Spring Break 1984.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel
College students file down A1A.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel
College students hang out at The Button during Spring Break.
Carl Seibert, Sun Sentinel
Students dance to disco music on the Holiday Inn pool deck during Spring Break 1980.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel
Spring Break takes over Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Robert Azmitia, Sun Sentinel
A swimsuit-clad college student pleads no contest to charges of disorderly conduct during Spring Break 1985.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel
Students pose after arriving in Fort Lauderdale for Spring Break.
Rich Mahan / Sun Sentinel
Spring Breakers party in Fort Lauderdale.
Terry Townsend, Sun Sentinel
Students build a sand castle on the beach in Fort Lauderdale during Spring Break 1981.
Robert Azmitia, Sun Sentinel
A singer performs on top of his van along A1A in Fort Lauderdale during Spring Break 1985.
Carl Seibert / Sun Sentinel
A college students sleeps on a bus bench during Spring Break 1980.
Rich Mahan / Sun Sentinel
Students from Rutgers University tan atop their motor home during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
Robert Azmitia / Sun Sentinel
Twenty students pack into a Yugo at Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
Deborah Meeks, Sun Sentinel
College students from Canada form a pyramid on Fort Lauderdale Beach during Spring Break 1985.
Phil Skinner, Sun Sentinel
College students dance during a concert featuring Dean Torrance of Jan and Dean and Mike Love of the Beach Boys at the Yankee Clipper during Spring Break 1984.
Bob East III / Sun Sentinel
Police pull over cars during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
Robert Mayer / Sun Sentinel
Students party on the roof of a motor home during Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale.
Steve Jones, Sun Sentinel
Students watch the Spring Break scene from a balcony at the Lauderdale Beach Hotel in 1984.
Phil Skinner, Sun Sentinel
Dean Torrance of Jan and Dean and Mike Love of the Beach Boys perform behind the Yankee Clipper during Spring Break 1984.
Carl Seibert, Sun Sentinel
A college student sleeps on the sidewalk during Spring Break 1980 in Fort Lauderdale.
Ursula Seemann / Sun Sentinel
A police officer keeps an eye on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Robert Mayer / Sun Sentinel
Traffic backs up on A1A during Spring Break.
Carl Seibert / Sun Sentinel
Fort Lauderdale Police deal with Spring Break activities in 1980.