State Patty's Day

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State Patty's Day is a student-led social gathering that acts as a Pennsylvania State University alternative to the traditional Saint Patrick's Day. It began on Friday, March 2, 2007, because Saint Patrick's Day fell during spring break, which would have left students unable to celebrate the holiday while at school and with friends. The first annual State Patty's Day (so named because the students replaced Saint with State in the name of the holiday) took place on March 2, 2007. Students began flocking the streets of downtown State College, and bars and restaurants in the area opened early to take advantage of the holiday.^[1]

In subsequent years State Patty's Day has been scheduled for the weekend after the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (known as THON), giving the event a standardized date. As of 2014, it has persisted as an annual event, attracting more tourism to downtown State College than Saint Patrick's Day itself.