St. Patrick's Day Waterloo: Massive crowds descend on Marshall Street after Ezra Avenue fenced off
After two years of subdued celebrations, St. Patrick’s Day parties in Waterloo made a major comeback on Thursday.
In anticipation of large crowds gathering on Ezra Avenue – the site of unsanctioned student parties during pre-pandemic St. Patrick's Days – the City of Waterloo installed fencing along the road on Monday.
On Thursday, students moved the party a block away to Marshall Street.
Officials haven't provided an estimated crowd size, but at its peak there appeared to be thousands of partiers in the area.
“They closed off Ezra so we just came over here,” one said.
Officials with Grand River Hospital said their emergency department saw between 20 and 30 people on Thursday because of St. Patrick’s Day festivities. Around 70 per cent were treated for intoxication or injury due to intoxication, a spokesperson said.
Crowds of St. Patrick's Day revelers on Marshall Street around 1:30 p.m on March 17, 2022. (Jeff Pickel/CTV News)
HOW THE DAY UNFOLDED
Thursday morning started off quiet with groups of students walking from party to party, but by early afternoon, the festivities were spilling out onto street as crowds continued to swell.
Around 1 p.m. police closed Marshall Street from Regina Street to King Street. Regina Street was also closed between Elgin and Lodge Street.
"It's kind of liberating, in a way, to know that we're getting back to the student lifestyle," one person taking part in festivities said.
There was also a heavy police presence in the area. In a tweet, Waterloo regional police encouraged those partying to gather in smaller groups, at licensed establishments or at home.
Officers handed out some tickets, but said there hadn't been any major incidents during the day on Thursday.
Streets had started to clear around 3 p.m., but it was anticipated students could return again on Thursday night.
Students gather for an unsanctioned party in Waterloo (Spencer Turcotte / CTV Kitchener)
Some people in the area weren't pleased to see the partying.
"I think this is disgusting," one woman said. "People are in their cars, they've got appointments. All the kids are all over the road and they're charging for the drinks. They knew this was going to happen, get them the hell out of the way so we can get through."
Regional police posted a message from Chief Bryan Larkin Thursday morning saying “they will continue to work closely with our community and emergency service partners to ensure complete and extensive operational plan is in place throughout the next 24 hours.”
PARTY MOVES TO UPTOWN BARS
By Thursday evening, the party had shifted to Uptown Waterloo
“You can see the amount of people that are enjoying themselves,” said Gabriel Cojocariu, owner of The Falls Road from inside his packed pub. “They're loving being here. They're missing their friends, they're missing seeing everybody. Sharing a pint and the experience.”
Staff at the Duke of Wellington say they've had the day circled on their calendar ever since moving to their new location on King Street.
"The luck of the Irish I guess?" said general manager Terry Meyer. "Lucky to be Irish for a day."
At Kentucky Bourbon & BBQ, one customer was happy to celebrate her heritage.
"It's actually really reminding me of Ireland," she said. "I'm from Dublin and it's also very messy on St. Patrick's Day."
Uptown Waterloo made a map of pubs and restaurants open for St. Patrick's Day:
WORD FROM UNIVERSITIES
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
LIVE UPDATES Critical infrastructure 'successfully protected': Jasper park officials
Jasper National Park officials in an update said all critical infrastructure in the townsite has been "successfully protected, including the hospital, emergency services building, both elementary and junior/senior schools, activity centre and wastewater treatment plant."
BREAKING Canadian Olympic Committee removes women soccer team's head coach following drone incident
The Canadian Olympic Committee has removed women's national soccer team head coach Bev Priestman, according to a press release from the organization.
Prince William's 2023 salary revealed in new report
Newly released financial reports show that William, the Prince of Wales, drew a salary of $42.1 million last fiscal year, his first since inheriting the vast and lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
Alberta premier says a third, perhaps half, of all Jasper buildings destroyed by fire
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says early reports indicate a third and perhaps up to half of all buildings in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper have burned in a wildfire.
OPINION Prince Harry: Press intrusion and the family rift explored in new doc
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has once again found himself at the centre of media attention following his recent interview as part of 'Tabloids on Trial,' an ITV documentary on phone hacking and tabloid intrusion.
Yukon woman narrowly escapes bear attack, credits hair clip
A woman in Yukon believes her hair clip helped save her during a bear attack.
Tourist suffers 3rd-degree burns to feet after losing flip flops amid soaring temperatures in Death Valley
A tourist was hospitalized after suffering third-degree burns on his feet on Saturday when he lost his flip flops at a national park in California where temperatures soared past 50 C.
Former judge with disputed Cree heritage likely has Indigenous DNA: law society
The Law Society of British Columbia says a DNA test shows a former judge and Order of Canada recipient accused of falsely claiming to be Cree "most likely" has Indigenous heritage.
Australian field hockey player opts to amputate part of his finger in order to compete in Paris Olympics
In the run up to the Paris Olympics, athletes have been stepping up their preparations in order to maintain their edge over competitors. But for Australia’s Matt Dawson, those preparations looked a little different this year, with the field hockey player opting to have part of his finger amputated in order to compete in the Games.