Crime

Dozens arrested at unsanctioned UMass ‘Blarney Blowout’

The raucous festivities have become notorious for drinking, arrests, and medical calls, even drawing national attention some years.

Police surround participants in the pre-St. Patrick's Day "Blarney Blowout" near the University of Massachusetts in Amherst on Saturday, March 8, 2014. Robert Rizzuto / The Republican via AP, File

By Abby Patkin

March 11, 2025

1 minute to read

Dozens of people were arrested and several more sent to the hospital Saturday as University of Massachusetts Amherst students gathered for their annual pre-St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

College news:

Held off-campus at the Townehouse condominiums on Meadow Street, the unsanctioned “Blarney Blowout” resulted in 29 arrests and eight summonses, most of them for disorderly conduct or alcohol-related offenses, UMass and town officials said in a statement.

The Amherst Fire Department also reported 23 medical transports, mostly stemming from alcohol consumption. Amherst police activated regional ambulance support “out of an abundance of caution” during the celebration, which wound down around 1 p.m., according to the statement.

By comparison, last year’s event prompted 18 arrests, 50 citations and summonses, and 21 medical transports, MassLive reported.

The raucous festivities have become notorious for drinking, arrests, and medical calls, even drawing national attention some years. The 2014 “Blarney Blowout” infamously resulted in 55 arrests, and local police faced backlash after using riot gear and pepper spray to disperse an unruly crowd that swelled to more than 4,000, Boston.com reported at the time.

UMass and Amherst officials praised public safety crews “for their effective and timely responses” this year, saying some “Blarney Blowout” impacts were minimized through joint outreach to off-campus students and proactive police intervention to confiscate alcohol from underage individuals.

The university also said more than 2,000 students signed up for “Spring Blast,” an annual day of free field trips and activities that sent undergraduates to museums, Broadway shows, hiking trails, and ski slopes Saturday. On-campus events included bingo, sports events, and a performance by comedy duo Trixie Mattel and Katya with Bob the Drag Queen.