Quiet St. Patrick’s Day in Waterloo

It was an uncharacteristically quiet St. Patrick’s Day in Waterloo’s University District.

After thousands of students made their way to a large unsanctioned party on Marshall Street Saturday afternoon, Sunday was mostly silent.

A handful of revellers dressed in green could be seen in the area in the early afternoon, but by 3 p.m., they had mostly dispersed.

Volunteers hand out Timbits to St. Patrick's Day partiers on Marshall Street on March 17, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener)

There was a large police presence at both Saturday and Sunday's festivities. A spokesperson from Waterloo regional police was not available for an interview but said they expect to release statistics about possible charges and arrests later this week.

Police installed CCTV cameras around the University District ahead of St. Patrick's Day this year.

On their website, WRPS said the cameras would be piloted for four days in March “to support police response to crowd management issues and response to criminal events."

Saturday celebrations

It was a sea of green on Marshall Street Saturday.

“I like it because it's like, you know, when else are you going to hang out with like 20,000 people,” one partier told CTV News.

Some people enjoying the festivities came from as far away as Kingston and the Niagara region.

“We have lots of friends around here and we just try to get down here and party as much as we can,” one person said.

Students on Marshall Street celebrating St. Patrick's Day on Satuday, March 16, 2024.

Not everyone at the event was there for the party. A group of volunteers from a local church was seen handing out snacks and water bottles.

“We’re just trying to look out for people, keep people safe and hopefully slightly more sober,” said Nate Lambert, University District pastor at Base Church.

No street parties in Guelph

Guelph police confirmed there were no St. Patrick’s Day street parties in that city over the weekend.

Detective Sgt. Chris Probst said one person was arrested for impaired driving on Saturday and officers handed out a few citations, but it was an otherwise quiet weekend.

Police begin planning for St. Patrick’s Day well in advance, Probst said.

“Preparations are quite extensive and they start literally months in advance,” he explained. “The planning just surrounds various scenarios and ensuring that we're prepared for those scenarios.”