Waterloo City Council takes additional steps to curb St. Paddy’s Day and street parties
Waterloo council has taken further steps to curb unsanctioned street parties that have seen thousands of people gather in the University District for St. Patrick’s Day and Homecoming.
Among the approved changes is the definition of a nuisance party, which will now include certain types of behavior that could become a safety issue.
For example, the city had people climbing onto roofs during these types of gatherings.
For the past two years, city staff have approached council for nuisance noise declarations to allow for “rigorous enforcement” on St. Patrick’s Day.
These measures are now permanent for St. Patrick’s Day and Waterloo Homecoming weekend.
In recent years, the city opted to try to shut down St. Patrick’s Day and Homecoming gatherings as thousands of students took to the streets of Waterloo for the annual celebrations.
In 2019, police estimated 33,000 people gathered for St. Patrick’s Day, up from 8,000 last year.
Homecoming crowds have not reached the same heights, although crowd sizes have also been estimated in the thousands.
© 2023 PKBNEWS, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.