It is the afternoon of March 4, a day known affectionately on campus as Unofficial St. Patrick’s day. Houses in Seniorland are beginning to liven as house music blares into the street, and empty cans fall from second-floor windows. 

University students host their friends from near and far, hoping to show them the energy and culture that make Champaign-Urbana unique. According to Clara Cupuro, senior in Business, her friends have guests from across the Big Ten Conference.

“Yeah, I guess we’re celebrating with all of our friends. We call it kind of like a last hurrah,” Cupuro said. “(Unofficial) is like the biggest Champaign event. We even have friends coming into town for this from Mizzou, Iowa — all of the Big Ten colleges.”

The yearly celebration is marked by notoriously wild parties and high attendance at campus bars. For many students, Unofficial is a hallmark experience each year on campus, and many associate the celebration with some of their craziest college memories.

“I did a backflip last year and fell on my back,” Tia O’Malley, senior in LAS said. “I believed in myself. That’s all that matters.”

Students choose to observe the campus holiday in various ways, but Julianne McClatchy, senior in LAS, said she hadn’t planned her day of celebration.

“My plans are wherever the day takes me,” McClatchy said. “I’m just gonna go with the wind.”

Cupuro suggests starting with a big breakfast regardless of the approach to celebrating the campus holiday.

“If you know you’re going to (party) all day, you need to start with a good breakfast,” Cupuro said. “Traditional Irish food — eggs, potatoes, bacon and sausage.”

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As students embark upon their Unofficial weekend plans, the streets fill with groups dressed in festive green outfits. Although it isn’t uncommon to see a few people protesting the all-green dress code, most participants are showing their spirit. It seems as though most members of the campus community wish to get in on the action, including graduate students who attended other universities for their undergraduate degrees.

Kristen Miller, graduate student studying food science, said the culture at her undergraduate alma mater, the University of Mississippi, was very different from the culture here.

“The U of I goes hard every weekend, but there’s something special about Unofficial,” Miller said. “I never really dartied at Ole Miss, but on Unofficial, it’s like, ‘OK, you must be drinking at brunch, and you must be going to a party immediately afterward.’”

Miller said she experiences college differently from undergraduate University students, but she and her friends choose not to let that stop them from participating in traditions like this one.

“We pregamed at an apartment party, and now we’re going to KAMS for funsies,” Miller said. “We are going to KAMS ‘ironically,’ we like to say.”

Claire Warsek, another graduate student studying food science, said Unofficial reminds her of her experience at the University of Wisconsin.

“I went to Wisconsin for Undergrad, and they had (Mifflin Street Block Party), which happens on the last weekend of April,” Warsek said. “It’s kind of like the equivalent of Unofficial, so this doesn’t confuse me. It’s just a different time of year, but it’s like, equivalently going hard.”

Some students waited in line for a seemingly unexpected reason — lunch at the freshly opened Raising Cane’s at the corner of Green and Fifth streets.

Parker Johnson, student in ACES, came to Raising Cane’s in a full Leprechaun costume in order to show Unofficial spirit.

“Unofficial is a good opportunity to spend time with friends,” Johnson said. “It’s a time to go out into the community and make some memories. Embrace people from other places in the United States who come here and celebrate with us.”

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Green Street is still full of various parties of people dressed head-to-toe in green. Lines to bars have died down, but there is still a short line outside of campus’ newly opened Raising Cane’s.

Henry Horton, junior in Media, said his plans today included, “Just having fun, spending the day with friends, maybe drink a little bit and (having) a good time celebrating St. Patrick’s Day weekend.”

It’s a good day to do that — the weather is currently 52 degrees and sunny, with clouds overcast to block people from direct sunlight. There aren’t many people bundled up, even though there are still remnants from yesterday’s snow on the streets.

The air is thick with spirit, smells of fermented yeast and sporadic whiffs of something green. People are walking and laughing with their friends, congregated on crosswalks, waiting for the walk sign so they can straightly cross the street.

And since Unofficial is unofficial, some students are denying any festivities today, saying things like, “Sorry, we just like to wear green!”

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As the day peaks, more people were seen throughout Green Street, most on their way to darties, or day parties, at various apartments. People are moving from the bars to various home-style, apartment gatherings.

“Today is crazy, for one,” said Makayla Owens, sophomore in AHS. “I got invited to a day party, just at my friend’s apartment.”

The stigma around Unofficial has always brought an increased police presence throughout campus. There haven’t been many police cars seen, but there were a few Carle ambulances on standby.

Music and various noises were heard throughout Fifth and John streets. Two darties on East Healey Street were competing for loudest music, though only one was decorated in green streamers.

Festivities throughout the day will lead to hunger and high appetites tonight. Fast food restaurants and food trucks are ready to serve the cravings of people with intoxicating plans occurring throughout the day and evening.

For Alah Khalifah, the owner of Fat Sandwich Company, tonight is one of the busiest nights of the year.

“After 11 p.m., it’s crazy. The line will be from here to past the wall,” Khalifah said. “I’ve been here for seven years, and every year, there are so many customers during Unofficial.”

The McDonald’s on Green Street experienced a similar preparation.

Eduardo Torres, manager at the Green Street McDonald’s, said, “Like every other major holiday, we try to schedule more workers. We ordered extra Shamrock Shakes, extra syrup, more buns and more lettuce.”

He said that because he knows how busy they will get, they tried their best to stock up on both employees and food.

“Unofficial also calls for extra, extra fries,” Torres said.

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Gray clouds obscured almost every color but one. Neon green seeped out of every crowd. Caps, hats, shirts, jackets and pants all painted the same shade.

Some people in green shirts went home, talking about how cold they are. For others, however, the night had just begun.

“It’s been a great day. We’re having a lot of fun,” said Ilan Kaplan, sophomore in LAS.

Kaplan wore a green cap and shirt, his other clothing shades of grey and brown; however, the color of fresh spring leaves was not exhausted from his wardrobe, Kaplan said. His girlfriend wore his green bandana.

Kaplan said he would buy groceries with his friends and cook dinner later that night.

“I think it could be storming out, and people would still be out,“ said Luke Telstad, a University alum.

Telstad and his friend from Chicago, Conrad Garbacz, planned on hitting Murphy’s Pub, KAMS and then The Red Lion.

“It’s been incredible,” Garbacz said. “It’s so nice to see a vibrant campus.”

Garbacz said drinks in Champaign were much cheaper than in Chicago.

Other Chicago natives were handing out what they claimed to be keys to a maintenance closet for an apartment complex on campus.

“We’re desperately trying to get rid of (maintenance keys) because we’re heading to Chicago,” Aidan Weyland, a Chicago native, said. “There’s not a single soul who will take this maintenance key.”

Weyland said that although no one was taking the keys, he believes University students would use the key to get free windex, squeegee, mops, buckets and internet fame.

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