There were a total of 218 Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) charges from St. Patrick’s Day festivities this year, between March 13 and March 18.

The most common charge was related to the highway traffic act at 128. The liquor licence and control act charge was next at 58. Other charges included bylaw (12), other (10), criminal code (6), trespass to property (3), and the cannabis control act (1).  

WRPS released the results on their website today, March 20. The number of arrests was not specified. Police estimated that the crowd reached its peak on March 14 at 7,500 people.

This year’s enforcement data shows a decline from 2025 and 2024 – last year’s celebrations led to more than 254 charges and 17 arrests, while there were 257 charges in 2024. This year, things were still busy, but clearly more controlled.

During the St. Patrick’s Day period, mainly on March 14, City of Waterloo bylaw officers responded to 72 calls related to noise and nuisance complaints, a drop from 129 in 2025. On that same day, they issued the following penalty notices: seven nuisance party (an $800 fine) charges, six charges for blocking traffic ($800), 21 noise violations ($400), and three public urination charges ($400). There were also 49 property standards orders given out for clean-up.

“We are disappointed that students and others continued to gather on our streets, creating a nuisance and a community safety concern,” said Grant Curlew, acting director of municipal enforcement services, in a release. “We are thankful there were no significant injuries, and that crowds were smaller, more contained, and dispersed more quickly than in previous years. ”