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Arrests, violations and medical issues amid St. Fratty’s Day in SLO, photos

March 14, 2026

Officers at the Cal Poly concert

By JOSH FRIEDMAN and KAREN VELIE

More than 11,000 people attended a concert at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the early hours of Saturday morning, yet there were few issues in the neighborhoods next to the campus amid the St. Fratty’s Day celebration.

Partially blocked streets, a huge law enforcement presence and a concert at Cal Poly led many students to gather at the music festival instead of the neighboring streets. More than 11,000 people attended the sold-out Morning on the Green concert that started at 4:45 a.m. at Cal Poly’s Sports Complex.

Concert at Cal Poly

However, multiple officers said they were expecting at least 14,000 people to attend the event. Many students seemed dissatisfied with the concert and left before it ended.

Cal Poly provided a tent inside the music festival where intoxicated students were evaluated. At times, police officers tracked down intoxicated students and escorted them to the tent.

Tent for intoxicated students at Cal Poly

A couple ambulances were parked beside the concert. Emergency personnel transported at least nine students to local hospitals because of intoxication.

Officers from numerous agencies up and down the coast were patrolling outside the concert, as well as the neighborhood adjacent to the campus. There were officers on foot, motorcycles and even horseback, as well as in vehicles. Authorities also flew a drone over the concert, and at times, over the adjacent neighborhood.

Deputies on horseback at Cal Poly

The SLO Police Department wants to thank city staff, Cal Poly and agency partners who participated in the operation:

  • Arroyo Grande Police Department
  • Atascadero Police Department
  • Atascadero State Hospital
  • California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control
  • California Department of Corrections – California Men’s Colony
  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • California Highway Patrol
  • California State Parks
  • Grover Beach Police Department
  • Kings County Sheriff’s Office
  • Monterey Park Police Department
  • Morro Bay Police Department
  • Oxnard Police Department
  • Paso Robles Police Department
  • Pismo Beach Police Department
  • San Francisco Police Department
  • San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office
  • Santa Barbara Police Department
  • Santa Maria Police Department
  • SLO County Probation Department
  • Ventura County Sheriff Office

From Friday at midnight through Saturday morning at 10 a.m., the SLO County Police Department issued 19 citations and made one arrest for an assault in the downtown area.

Following the concert, groups of students headed to the bars in downtown San Luis Obispo. Long lines formed outside several downtown bars. Police officers also patrolled the downtown in vehicles and on bicycles.

Additionally, some students gathered at a house party or parties close to the campus after the concert ended. The partying, though, did not spill over into the streets.

Early Saturday morning, there were also multiple DUI crashes throughout San Luis Obispo County, with drivers in two crashes attempting to dispose of alcohol bottles before officers arrived, according to the California Highway Patrol.

In 2024, an estimated 6,500 people gathered on residential streets where they broke mutiple car windows, fences and alcohol bottles. Attendees also vandalized dorms, broke glass and left trash throughout the area.

Following years of vandalism, injuries and arrests; city and Cal Poly officials are attempting to end the large outdoor parties in the neighborhoods near the campus. One sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the area Saturday morning said the large police presence this year served as a deterrent.

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Sounded like a great shin dig to go bro down with other bros, get faded, and jock chicks..


-3

So tired of the city enabling this $hit. Two days we had to listen to horrible techno music that started at 4am and went to around 8. And the partying began before that. We live in the vicinity of CP and we pay tax dollars and own our home, yet we have to suffer at the hands of a bunch of drunk toddlers?! Because the city thinks these students bring in the revenue?! Let’s be clear…THEY don’t, their parents do!! And I’m sure if their parents were witness to this BS they wouldn’t like it either. Bunch of hypocrisy rules this town


35

The amount of tax dollars spent on this event and policing is absolutely ridiculous! Why do students need this event? They party every weekend in the neighborhoods with fraternity houses operating illegally in residential neighborhoods hosting events with DJ’s, live bands, and putting on car washes, water slide parties, etc. Enough is enough!! Cal Poly is promoting the party culture which is the ruination of many once wonderful family neighborhoods. Residents have been forced to move out of their long-time homes because their neighborhood is no longer livable for them. They don’t have peace and don’t feel safe. The high number of students in many of their neighborhood houses making noise from parties and drunken partiers roaming the streets late at night yelling and screaming, urinating and vomiting in their yards, along with having to endure loss of parking, high volume traffic, blight from furniture and debris in front yards, etc. have driven them out of their homes. City code enforcement is overwhelmed by what has happened. Cal Poly is not cooperating with the city to reign in the fraternity houses in illegal zones which is causing a lot of the problems, so nothing is going to change and will even continue to spread as Cal Poly increases enrollment year over year and approves more fraternities. Before anyone responds that residents should just leave or students have a right to party because it’s their “college experience,” I say phooey–enough enough??!!


45

Cal Poly will never rein in the students, it’s all about the money.And as far as the city doing anything about the students that’s not going to happen either, when you have the mayor and her counsel that are all associated with Cal Poly one way or another, they’re taking care of each other. Just maybe if the mayor and her council lived next door to a satellite fraternity house or in a neighborhood filled with student housing and let them live there for 6 months and see how they like it. Maybe they might change their mind about helping the residents with the out of control parties and noise. I’m with Caroljane on this one,before anyone says well you get what you voted for, you have to realize that there’s a big transient population that shifts every year and they all vote, so it’s a real uphill battle for the residents to see any change voted in.


23

My student loan tax dollars, earning their way to a spectacular future!


16

21 police agencies gathered for this. Great use of everyone’s time and taxpayer money, sure. Meanwhile homeless junkies continue degrading our quality of life all over the county.


But at least the kids could get drunk, so that’s nice.


45

Just like the junkie situation, there are far too many people profiting from the behavior and want it to continue.


21