St Patrick’s Day: A time for green, beer, and a day when everyone is Irish. In Waterloo, however, it is also a time for the local police force to bring out horses in light of how out-of-control the situation can, and usually does, become.
Some people plan and anticipate this day for weeks, with the local Pub on King holding a yearlong countdown to the day. Meanwhile, others are not looking forward to it at all and are apprehensive about the whole event, citing degenerate behaviour as something that is not up their alley.
The truth is probably somewhere in between.
I strongly believe it is all a matter of perspective. Without a doubt, events like St. Patrick’s Day festivities contain a wide scale of situations you can find yourself in, on both extremes, but they also give you an opportunity to step out of the regular routine. You want to spend a whole day at Bomber? Go for it!
Whether you want to stay in and eat green cupcakes, or go out and brave the crowds on Ezra Avenue, I think it would be foolish to try and reject it. After all, it is about community spirit. As a student community, I think that there is never a limit to how much we can, and should, show our spirit. Especially on a campus like ours, where academic achievement is placed high up on the spectrum of goals, it never hurts to balance it out a little by embracing the celebrations. Especially when your celebration can take any form you want.
Of course, there is an increasing amount of concern over safety. Apartments on Ezra Avenue are no longer allowing residents to sign in more than one guest, and local law enforcement is being open about freely giving out tickets over things like public intoxication. But if you’re smart and make choices that do not hurt yourself or anyone else, then it is possible to have fun without negative consequences.
So, whether it is St. Patrick’s, Homecoming, or even Halloween, I suggest you go out and embrace it!
