.png)
Clubs, hotels, what it costs, how to get around, and the one thing that gets you into all of it. Thirty years of running spring break in Fort Lauderdale, written down.
Twenty-three miles of beach, clubs you can walk between, and a 21+ crowd that came to party, not to pose.
Fort Lauderdale isn't just another beach town. It's a spring break legend: the original one, before the cameras moved to Panama City. In 2027 it's the grown-up option of the three Maniac cities, with world-class nightlife on the beach, a real downtown ten minutes away, and weather in March that's close to guaranteed.
Four venues carry spring break in Fort Lauderdale. Every one of them is on the Maniac card, so the cover you see here is what everyone else pays.
Party central by day. The pool parties run noon to 6pm with concerts and guest DJs most days of the season, then the club takes over at night. Come early or it fills up on peak weeks.
Next door to the Elbo Room. A modern coastal spot with a massive LED wall, CO2 cannons, nightly entertainment and a dance floor that stays full. Brunch starts at 10am and gets busy fast.
A sprawling indoor-outdoor complex downtown where the biggest spring break parties happen. Cover is usually $40 to $60 and comes with free drinks until midnight.
Classic spring break dive bar energy. Music, cheap drinks, rowdy locals, right on the beach. Not on the card, but the pregame stop before Rock Bar and a cheap beer between pool and club.
Maniac runs the Fort Lauderdale event calendar: Rock Bar pool parties daily, headline concerts through the season, Backyard on Mondays and Wednesdays.
See Fort Lauderdale eventsFort Lauderdale hosts spring break events, parties and concerts through all of March. Beach parties by day, club nights and rooftop events after dark, and a concert lineup at Rock Bar that drops in January.
The math is simple. A single event ticket is $20 to $60 at the door. The Maniac VIP card covers every club all night and select events for the whole week; the Black card covers every event, every show, plus free drinks and food. If you're going to more than two things, the card is cheaper than the tickets.
Jackie Hollander, Twin Sick, Kettama, Westend, Doo, Matroda, Odd Mob, Roddy Lima and Wuki all played Rock Bar in March 2026, free with VIP and Black. 2027 is announced in January.
Most Fort Lauderdale hotels and Airbnbs require guests to be 25+, or have noise rules strict enough to get a group evicted on night one.
Per person, for a week, split four to a room. Fort Lauderdale runs higher than PCB or Padre on rooms; the card is where you claw it back.
Thirty minutes apart, and the most common question we get. Here's the straight comparison.
Rooms, flights and party packages all get more expensive the closer March gets. Here's the order.
The questions we answer every day in March. Still stuck? Text us.
Contact usFort Lauderdale runs four weeks, March 1 to 27, 2027. Weeks two and three are the busiest; most Southeast and Northeast schools break March 7 to 21. Check your school on our spring break dates post.
Yes. Every venue on the Maniac card in Fort Lauderdale is 21+ and checks ID at the door. If you're 18 to 20, Panama City Beach and South Padre are 18+.
Plan on $1,200 to $2,000 per person for a mid-range week including travel, four to a room. A budget week is closer to $800 to $1,200 if you drive and split a room. The Maniac card saves $300 or more in cover alone.
Rock Bar for the daily pool party and nightly club, Beach House Las Olas for brunch and late nights, and America's Backyard and Revolution downtown for the biggest parties on Mondays and Wednesdays. Elbo Room is the pregame.
On the beach side of A1A so you can walk to Rock Bar and Beach House, and at a hotel that allows guests under 25. Most don't. StudentEscape blocks rooms at hotels that welcome college groups and bundles the Maniac card.
For most students, yes. Same coast and weather, about half the room and drink prices, venues built for college groups, and everything walkable on A1A. Miami is a 30-minute rideshare if you want one night of it.
Free entry to Rock Bar, Beach House, Backyard and Revolution for seven days, free drink hours nightly, and concerts with VIP and Black. Cards start at $100 with a $20 down payment plan. Pickup is at Beach House Las Olas.