The unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day street parties in Waterloo are seen as a rite of passage for many students, and a chance to blow off steam as they approach the end of the winter semester.
For authorities, the large gathering poses serious safety concerns.
Enforcement is also expensive, with leaders saying the money could be better spent to benefit the community.
Here is how the party has evolved over the last decade, as well as some of the strategies used to try and address the growing gatherings that started in Waterloo.
2014 – The crowd on Ezra Ave. was estimated at around 4,000 people, thanks in part to a sanctioned St. Patrick’s Day tent party on Seagram Dr. that could fit 3,000 people.
Students had to buy tickets to that event, even though $30,000 was provided by the City of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo to help cover costs. Police estimated their costs were $5,000, with about 100 officers patrolling the area of the tent and street parties.
A wristband policy was put in place for students living in apartments on Ezra Ave. and Bricker Ave. Each tenant was only allowed two guests at the tent party.
The day before St. Patrick’s Day, 4,400 cans of cold shots were seized from a home on Columbia St. Police said a group of students were selling tickets to a party which they claimed would raise funds for charity, even though the organizers didn’t have a liquor license.
“There are more than enough venues available right now that have legal licenses... that students can attend and we want them to go to those events where they at least will be safe,” WRPS Staff Sgt. Jim Strand told CTV at the time.
2015 – About 8,000 people showed up for St. Patrick’s Day parties either on Ezra Ave., or at the licensed tent party on Seagram Drive. A number of other parties were shut down throughout the day, including one that featured a DJ on the front porch.
Police said they laid 241 charges, most under the Liquor License Act, for possessing open containers of alcohol.
“Overall, we’re pleased to say that people are acting responsibly,” said WRPS Chief Bryan Larkin during a late-afternoon interview with CTV News.
2016 – At the height of the party, an estimated 5,000 people packed Ezra Ave. This year there was no sanctioned tent party on Seagram Dr.
The chief of police told CTV News people were going back and forth from the tent on Seagram Dr. to the Ezra Ave. street party. Officers also seized kegs from house parties in the university district.
Chief Bryan Larkin said, while it was permissible to drink on one’s own front lawn, what is illegal is selling tickets to an event where alcohol is consumed without a license.
“The message is very clear – we’re firm, we’re fair, we’re consistent,” he told CTV News.
2017 – An estimated 15,000 people partied this year on Ezra Ave., costing Waterloo Regional Police an estimated $128,000. While there were no major incidents reported at the time, the region’s police chief said it was time for the massive street party to stop.
“It’s really reached a breaking point. We can no longer contain this,” Chief Bryan Larkin told CTV News the following year, adding that officers would try to end the party before it started by asking people to move along. “Street parties, and the gathering on streets, simply can’t continue.”
2018 – Peak attendance at parties on and around Ezra Ave. were estimated at 22,400 people – not including anyone who might have been celebrating on a porch, backyard or inside a house.
Peel Regional Police officers were brought in to help with crowd control and two dump trucks from the City of Waterloo were used to protect against the possibility of a vehicle intentionally being driven into the crowd.
By evening that day, 25 people had been taken to hospital, most for what paramedics called ‘alcohol misuse.’
The cost of keeping an eye on crowd size, while ensuring emergency services remained accessible, added up to $713,500 for the city, emergency services and the universities.
The following month, Mayor Dave Jaworsky announced the city and Waterloo Regional Police were forming a task force comprised of representatives from the city, emergency services and the university community, with the goal of ending the party within the next five years.
The mayor also said people coming to party from out of town now outnumbered those living in Waterloo.
“These people are not invested in the well-being of our community, and aren’t concerned with the impact their behaviour has on our community,” he said.
2019 – More than 33,000 students attended the Ezra Ave. street party.
Waterloo Regional Police said 514 charges were laid. The most common offenses were for alcohol and traffic violations, in addition to 11 criminal code charges and 22 arrests. There were also several reports of incidents where rocks and bottles were thrown into the crowd.
“We have been very disappointed with some of the behaviours that have been displayed by some of the people in attendance,” said Ashley Dietrich, a public information officer with Waterloo Regional Police. “We have received reports of people hanging out the windows and climbing trees.”
Police said the cost to plan and staff the day totaled $286,400.
2020 – Ontario declared a state of emergency, due to the increase in COVID-19 cases, on March 17. Students listened to the appeal from the police chief, mayor and the region’s medical officer of health, and did not show up for any unsanctioned street parties.
“I am very pleased and proud that students did the right thing,” said Mayor Dave Jaworsky. “Our students are smart people. They have clearly taken the threat of the dangerous potential spread of COVID-19 seriously.”
Jaworsky added that while it was too early to draw conclusions, he hoped this would signal a change in the trajectory of the event.
2021 – With pandemic guidelines still in place, students held smaller house parties instead of gathering in the street. Some students expressed their disappointment, saying they missed the big party.
“It used to be a glimmer of hope for the winter term and every student at Waterloo and Laurier,” one student said. “It’s just overall reminder of the past year for all of us, the hardships we’ve faced. I’ve felt really socially isolated the last few months and this is a visual representation of that.”
Bylaw officers had a different perspective.
“I think this is a great sort of pivoting point for us,” said Nicole Papke, Waterloo’s director of municipal enforcement services. “I hope this will continue.”
2022 – Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, fencing was installed along Ezra Ave., so students gathered on nearby Marshall St. instead.
More than 4,000 people turned out and police said they laid 147 charges and arrested 19 people.
Waterloo Regional Police called the fences a “pro-active investment” that sent a strong message to discourage unsanctioned events.
Mayor Dorothy McCabe’s later explained to CTV News that, while the fencing didn’t stop the party, it did move revelers from the “very unsafe area” of Ezra Ave. to the more open and accessible Marshall St.
Police Chief Bryan Larkin told CTV News that the police response to St. Patrick’s Day was “overall, a remarkable operational success.”
2023 – At the peak of the party, about 8,000 people gathered on Marshall St. in Waterloo. Ezra Ave., meanwhile, was once again fenced off.
Police said they spent $267,000 to monitor the party, the majority of which was overtime pay for officers.
Between Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18, police laid 230 charges and arrested 18 in the university district; more than 80 per cent of those charges were for violations of either the Liquor License Act or Highway Traffic Act.
Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe described policing efforts as impressive, but said she wished taxpayer money was spent elsewhere.
“Certainly, this is not something that we wish happened in our city,” she told CTV News. “Between the cost of the police and paramedics and to the city itself, we’d prefer to be able to spend that money on some other initiative that benefits our community and benefits our residents.”
Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day weekend, police installed closed circuit television cameras around the university district in a four-day pilot project to support police with crowd management issues and respond to any criminal activities.
Police estimated they spent around $318,000 to monitor the university district over the weekend, most of which was overtime for officers. Police said 257 charges were laid between Friday and Sunday, and 10 people were arrested.
“This event was handled very successfully by our members and our community partners,” Chief Mark Crowell said, adding that no violent incidents were reported.
Weeks later, however, the chair of the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board said it was time to make a concerted effort at ending the unsanctioned street party.
“Someone will eventually die or there will be some sort of catastrophic injuries to one or more people,” said Ian McLean. “Then everyone is going to start looking around and saying, ‘why didn’t we prevent this?’”
