Police handed out fewer St. Patrick's Day tickets in Waterloo this year
But police laid more charges for illegally selling alcohol, compared to last year
The number of tickets issued to St. Patrick's Day revellers in Waterloo was down slightly this year, a report from police shows.
This year, a total of 256 tickets were issued. That is down from 269 in 2015.
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The highest number of tickets - 127 - were handed out for possessing open alcohol off private property.
There were 15 tickets handed out for underage drinking and 14 for being intoxicated in public.
'A number of house parties'
The report, which will go before the Police Services Board Wednesday during its regular monthly meeting, noted the festivities on Ezra Avenue kicked off as usual around 11 a.m. and peaked around 3 p.m. Ezra Avenue was "cleared out" by 6 p.m.
"A number of house parties were located around the area," the report states. "Three large keg parties were located and charges were laid in all cases. Fourteen kegs of beer and other alcohol were seized. This was a significant increase from five kegs seized in 2015."
Police estimated 5,000 people still attended the Ezra Avenue gathering, while more than 150 officers and auxiliary members were on hand to keep law and order.
No tent, no problems
This year, the City of Waterloo decided not to set up a tent, previously touted as a way to get students to party there rather than on Ezra Avenue. City staff said the tent actually seemed to encourage young people from outside the city to come to Waterloo to celebrate.
"The cancellation of the tent created no major issues and the overall peak numbers were similar on Ezra Avenue to last year," police said.
The universities did not cancel classes, which helped shorten to time of peak crowds, the report said.