to "beat the crowds" is an expression in English which means you are trying to arrive before the normal, large crowd arrives.
Similar expressions are:
Beat the line (line here referring to a queue)
Beat the light (pass the intersection before the traffic light turns red)
Beat the rush (almost identical to "beat the crowds", but usually in reference to the large amount of people arriving at a place of dining during peak meal times)
Beat the clock (finish the task before a deadline is met or time runs out)
Hope this helped :)