STATE COLLEGE — From Friday, Feb. 23, to Sunday, Feb. 25, students flooded the streets of downtown State College to partake in the student-created holiday, State Patty’s Day. The Penn State tradition was created in 2007 when St. Patrick’s Day fell during Penn State’s spring break, stopping the students from celebrating the popular drinking holiday. In response, the drinking marathon was created.
While attendance and crime during State Patty’s have decreased in recent years, the borough and university rolled out additional safety measures this year for extra protection for both State College residents and Penn State students.
In a letter to the State College Tavern Owners Association, Borough Manager Tom Fountaine and Penn State Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Andrea Dowhower requested that bars downtown not offer State Patty’s Day drink specials, extended hours or themed promotions.
“A proactive approach to discourage participation in this event is utilized to help reduce problematic behaviors,” Fountaine said. “It is critical to reduce high-risk and dangerous drinking that impacts community resources such as Mount Nittany Medical Center, university and borough police resources and EMS workers, along with the overall well-being of the community, including students and long-term residents.”
Residence halls additionally limited one guest per room, and fraternities and sororities were asked to voluntarily limit social events with alcohol.
Penn State fraternities were permitted to host registered social events during State Patty’s Day weekend for the first time last year in more than a decade. The Interfraternity Council, which governs 36 fraternity chapters, wrote in a statement that “registered socials are significantly more organized, responsible and safer” than unsanctioned events because of accompanying guidelines and monitoring.
Fraternities voluntarily banned registered social events after the notorious 2011 State Patty’s Day, when State College and Penn State police reported a combined 309 arrests between midnight on Friday and midnight on Sunday of State Patty’s weekend.
According to the University Police Daily Crime Log for the 2024 State Patty’s Day weekend, university police reported 31 calls for drinking, harassment and destruction of property, and seven cases of students needing to be transported to the hospital for drinking.
