Coogee Beach in Sydney's east was unexpectedly heaving today thanks to a pop-up Christmas Day party.
The bins and bathrooms were not coping with the massive crowds, which continued to stream in right into the evening, after the traditional backpackers bash at Bronte Beach was cancelled in the wake of the Bondi attack.
The drinks were flowing across the alcohol-free zone and the riot squad arrived but with generally good behaviour, no arrests have been made.
READ MORE: Crane hits Gold Coast building after snapping in storm
One of Sydney's best loved beaches looked more like a nightclub after thousands of people made the most of the sand and shore to celebrate a Christmas away from home.
This year marks a break from tradition, after Waverly Council urged people to stay away from the unofficial backpackers bash typically held at Bronte Beach following the Bondi terror attack.
So, instead, the masses made other plans and all turned up at Coogee instead.
"We originally went to Bronte Beach but it was dead and someone said come to Coogee, so we jumped into a taxi and it's much better here," one partygoer told 9News.
READ MORE: 'This Christmas is a different one', says Albanese as he serves festive meals
Firefighters were called in to put out a small barbecue fire that started to spread but otherwise, police only needed to keep an eye on the crowd.
Previous celebrations attracted criticism for the mess left behind and today a single guard from Randwick City Council was on patrol, urging the crowd to leave the area as they found it.
But there's already plenty of rubbish strewn across the area, with a big clean up sure to follow on Boxing Day.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.