More Hoboken Bar Crawls Planned As Traditional 'LepreCon' Weekend Was Quiet

HOBOKEN, NJ — No news is good news, according to the city of Hoboken, as there were no arrests over the weekend tied to St. Patrick's Day-themed bar crawls.

In past years, the first weekend in March often brought St. Patrick's revelers to private events, left over when the city would hold its St. Patrick's Parade early in the month to nab the best marching bands. Years ago, people would host house parties and bar crawls after the event.

This past Saturday, private organizers did plan events, but there were no related arrests.

The city said in a release, "The city of Hoboken and Hoboken Public Safety Department today announced that for the first time since its launch, there were no arrests made in connection to the unsanctioned bar crawl, LepreCon.

"While there were no arrests related to the LepreCon event, the Hoboken Police Department did address a few minor incidents between the hours of 12 p.m. Saturday, March 1, and 4 a.m. Sunday, March 2. There were 49 calls for service, including five special complaints: three for public urination, one for open container, and one for disorderly conduct. There were 16 motor vehicle summonses issued, four ambulance calls, and zero occupancy violations issued by the Fire Department, in connection with the bar crawl event."

"Over the past several years, my administration has worked diligently to discourage disrespectful participation in LepreCon, which has historically disrupted our residents’ quality of life and drained city resources with overtime costs and sanitation expenses, not to mention hospitalizations and arrests," said Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

"This is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and vigilance of our entire Public Safety Department, including the Police and Fire Departments, EMS/HVAC, OEM, and Health Division,"said Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante.

The city has publicized its high fines for rowdy behavior and crowded house parties in past years.

Meanwhile, more private crawls have been arranged for the next two Saturdays, including the Hoboken St. Patrick's Day Bar Crawl and the Luck of the Irish crawl.

See photos here from the 2020 "LepreCon" bar crawl two weeks before the covid lockdowns, which resulted in six arrests.