While hundreds of partygoers celebrated St. Patrick’s day in Kent, some found themselves not so lucky.

Twenty-six people were arrested over the weekend, a slight increase compared to last year’s 22 arrests. 

However, Kent Police Department Lt. Michael Lewis said it is still lower than previous years, like 2016, when there were 41 arrests.

Lewis said despite the increase of arrests, the police department was prepared for the weekend.

“We planned for it and again, we started with prevention and speaking to the students and trying to explain to them the dangers and consequences of having large parties and we did the best we could as far as education and prevention,” Lewis said.

Partygoers gathered throughout the day at the bars, fraternities and house parties to celebrate the holiday, but Lewis said nothing out of the ordinary happened.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve been surprised by anything we’ve seen since probably 2015 or 2016 when things really first started happening,” Lewis said.

Lewis also said Fake Paddy’s Day is similar to Halloween, where the day is really going to depend on the behavior of the students and how much cooperation police get from them.

While the department had officers on duty throughout the day, Lewis said most arrests happened when students were walking around.

“It’s not like we are out hiding in bushes or anything like that trying to catch people who are drinking,” Lewis said. “They come right to us. They’re walking down the street and down the sidewalk carrying open containers of alcohol, that’s something we are never going to overlook.”

Lauren Sasala covers administration. Contact her at [email protected].