Kingston prepares to jump into St. Patrick’s Day weekend

By Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist & Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

The city has been hard at work preparing for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations set to take place this weekend.

Most of the festivities, including the infamous Aberdeen Street takeover, will be taking place a day early, on Saturday, March 16, according to a vote on the Canadian Party Life Instagram. 

The University District Safety Initiative (UDSI) is in effect for the weekend, with an increased bylaw and police presence.The UDSI comes into effect throughout Queen's Orientation Week, Homecoming and St. Patrick's Day, with hopes of reining in some of the high-risk behaviors that have historically taken place throughout these events. Breaking any of the various noise and nuisance party Bylaws this weekend can result in fines ranging from $100-$2,000. 

With Homecoming in the fall seeing a significant improvement from previous years, a release from the city reporting “more cooperation with enforcement”, no major issues or injuries, and an “overall positive weekend”, the city bylaw department hopes to see the trend continue this weekend. 

The city has also organized a list of alternative events taking place on the holiday, including a free concert in Springer Market Square Sunday.

“We thought, let's do something downtown that's maybe a little bit more inclusive and fun for all,” says Moira Demorest, Kingston’s Music Officer. “The concert in the square is free and then we're just going to encourage people to go out and experience all the other fun pubs and live music that's also happening in the scene that day.”

With an endless supply of live music and the usual festivities in the university district, it is sure to be a lively weekend.