Manure and fences: How SLO neighborhood is bracing for St. Fratty’s Day party
Manure, deer repellent and fences were among the methods some San Luis Obispo residents deployed on Friday to protect their homes from St. Fratty’s Day partygoers this year.
The annual unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day celebration was expected to kick off early Saturday morning, with some students likely to start pre-gaming around 3 a.m. — or earlier.
The 2024 party drew more than 6,000 people to the streets around Hathway Avenue, forcing some neighborhood residents to play “home defense” as drunken revelers entered houses and trespassed on properties.
The party also extended to campus, where unruly students damaged multiple residence halls.
This year, Cal Poly is holding a music festival on campus in an attempt to lure students out of the neighborhoods around campus. But the 5,000 tickets were claimed in three minutes last week, leaving many students disgruntled.
That has only heightened attention on the neighborhoods around campus.
Yet while law enforcement and university officials were hoping to prevent the block party this year, some homeowners and residents still took extra precautions to curb damage and stay safe.
Cal Poly students, SLO homeowners want to prevent damage
SLO resident Cindy Vix owns a rental home on Bond Street, which connects with Hathway.
During last year’s party, over 100 people gathered on the roof of the home without invitation, resulting in more than $2,000 worth of damage, she told The Tribune.
“That was costly, but not horrible,” she said. “What I’m worried about this year is that somebody could be really hurt.”
To hopefully prevent damage from trespassing partiers, Vix had manure delivered to her flower beds and deer repellent sprayed on the foliage. That’s in addition to the six-foot fence she had installed Friday morning.
Vix told The Tribune she hoped partiers would choose not to climb on roofs.
“Please respect that this is a neighborhood,” she said.
Farther down the street, student resident Connor Lobes was busy boarding up his backyard on Friday afternoon.
Lobes said residents of his house had to report their own address to the police last year after too many people crowded onto their front lawn.
“We’re kind of closing off all the entrances into our yard because we really don’t want to get a ticket,” Lobes told The Tribune. After seeing the fence being installed down the street, Lobes said he and his roommates decided to try to block off their driveway as well.
Lobes said the St. Fratty’s party is a lot of fun but had gotten out of hand in some ways.
“The biggest thing is just making sure everyone’s doing their celebrations in a safe way and minimize as much damage to our own property as possible,” he said.
City officials put up no-parking signs
SLO parking officials were also in the neighborhood Friday stapling up no-parking signs along Hathway and some side streets.
The no-parking policy was set to last from 4 p.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Saturday, according to the signage.
Nearby, Campus Bottle Shoppe owner Robert Souki told The Tribune that the parking policy could have an impact on his business, since he relies on Cal Poly students.
On Saturday, he plans to open the liquor store at 6:30 a.m. — an hour and a half earlier than usual.
And heads up to anyone looking to stock up on alcohol: Everyone who enters the door is getting their ID checked.
He felt that the weekend was already different from previous years due to a heightened police presence in the neighborhood.
“I hope that everything is safe No. 1,” he said. “That’s what I want.”
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM.
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