Virginia Beach Considers Earlier Curfew to Curb Spring Break Parties

Police Chief seeks new enforcement tools as unsanctioned beach events are promoted online

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Virginia Beach is considering an earlier curfew for unaccompanied juveniles in an effort to curb unsanctioned spring break beach parties that have led to public safety concerns in recent years. Police Chief Paul Neudigate has been seeking broader enforcement authority from the state legislature, but a bill that would have granted more tools to address "pop-up" events did not advance this year. With the legislation stalled, the city is now looking to lower the juvenile curfew from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. as a stopgap measure.

Why it matters

Virginia Beach has grappled with unruly crowds and public safety issues during informal spring break events in recent years, with the police department making numerous arrests and confiscating firearms during the 2025 College Beach Weekend. The city is hoping an earlier curfew and other enforcement measures can help prevent similar problems this year as social media posts promote new unsanctioned beach parties.

The details

Police Chief Paul Neudigate says "carloads" of teens are dropped off in the resort area, and officers end up having to "babysit" them. The department plans to partner with the Parks and Recreation department to enforce the curfew, with personnel from the Sheriff's Office transporting any curfew-violating juveniles to recreation centers where their parents can pick them up. The city is also looking to enforce trespassing violations on private property with the owner's permission.

  • Online posts promoting unsanctioned "College Beach Week 2K26" events are already circulating, with the events scheduled for April 9-12.
  • In 2025, Virginia Beach police made 53 arrests, filed over 200 charges, and confiscated 28 firearms while responding to "chaotic stampedes triggered by fears of gunfire" during College Beach Weekend.

The players

Paul Neudigate

The police chief of Virginia Beach who has been seeking more enforcement authority to address unruly crowds at unsanctioned spring break events.

Patrick Duhaney

The city manager of Virginia Beach who acknowledged the community concerns, media coverage, and business stakeholder issues caused by the incidents during past spring break events.

Virgil Thornton

The state delegate who introduced legislation that would have given police departments more tools to address "pop-up" events, but the bill did not advance this year.

Dan Helmer

The Democratic chair of the House Counties, Cities & Towns Committee who said the legislation still needs some work before it can move forward.

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What they’re saying

“The struggle that we have is whether this materializes or not, we have to posture up for it because if we don't, and we have 4,000 or 5,000 individuals show up, and we're not prepared to handle that, then we're going to have some significant issues at the Oceanfront.”

— Paul Neudigate, Police Chief (pilotonline.com)

“We've still got some work to do.”

— Dan Helmer, Chair, House Counties, Cities & Towns Committee (pilotonline.com)

“When the weather changes, we get a lot of crowd, right? And sometimes we get unpermitted, unsanctioned events. And last year, we had several incidents that led to a lot of community concerns, media coverage and also some business stakeholder concern.”

— Patrick Duhaney, City Manager (pilotonline.com)

What’s next

The Virginia Beach City Council is scheduled to vote soon on lowering the juvenile curfew from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. as a measure to help address the concerns around unsanctioned spring break events.

The takeaway

Virginia Beach is taking proactive steps to try to prevent the public safety issues and community disruptions caused by unsanctioned spring break events in recent years, including seeking new enforcement tools from the state legislature and implementing a lower juvenile curfew. However, the city's efforts face an uphill battle as social media promotion of these events continues.