Students fill their pints at Green Beer Sunday

Thousands of people– SU students included–headed to Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub in Tipperary Hill to celebrate the 62nd annual Green Beer Sunday on Feb. 23. 

Many Syracusans regard the event as the unofficial start of the St. Patrick’s Day season, marked by bagpipers, Irish dancers and, of course, light beer dyed with emerald green food coloring. 

Though the famous green beer tanker didn’t make it to the celebration due to a technical issue, the party went on, and the green beer continued to flow. 

Photo by Anna Ginelli

Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub served patrons pitchers of their famous green beer to kick off St. Patrick’s Day season.

The event began with a two-block parade midday Sunday led by marshal Officers James Zollo and John Canestrare. In addition to entertainment by local performers, the parade featured this year’s Miss Green Beer, Abby Raus. 

Of course, attendees sported their St. Patrick’s Day green in the most creative and fashionable ways possible. 

“There was a guy dressed up as Saint Patrick, and then there was a guy in a green beer suit,” said SU senior Sophia Nelson. “We didn’t realize how much people take it seriously. It’s like a national holiday in Syracuse.”

Photo by Surya Vaidy

First established in 1933, Colemans has become an iconic business in the Tipperary Hill neighborhood. As the pub was filled with attendees of Green Beer Sunday, the crowd spilled into the parking lot, where more beer was served.

The line to enter Coleman’s, the celebration’s epicenter and the distributor of green beer, wrapped around the historic Tipp Hill neighborhood despite the below-freezing Syracuse weather. Doors opened at 11 a.m., though some people arrived hours before to secure their spots.

“It’s freezing cold, and it’s Sunday, but hey, I like drinking holidays,” SU senior Vincent Zakian said. 

While many attendees waited in line to celebrate at Coleman’s, several Tipp Hill residents threw parties on their porches, selling hotdogs and playing upbeat music to boost the morale of those in line. 

“Everyone was so nice and kind, and everyone was happy,” said SU junior and first-time green beer attendee Alexis Leach. “There wasn’t a single person without a smile on their face.”

Photo by Anna Ginelli

Irish dance students from the Johnston School of Irish Dance take a photo following the Green Beer Sunday parade.

Once the wait was over, attendees could enter Coleman’s to warm up from the cold or head out back. There, they could find music by central New York party band the Mere Mortals and food trucks from local restaurants like Limp Lizard Bar & Grill.

“The Limp Lizard food truck had a pulled pork slider, which was really good. Only five bucks for it,” Leach said. 

The most popular drink of choice was the famous green beer served in a pitcher, which was sold cash-only for $15.

“I had two pitchers of beer. They were amazing. I didn’t mind the price,” Leach said.

Though most attendees opted for the green beer, there were plenty of alcoholic beverages to choose from. Local distillery 1911 Established sold canned green hard cider to celebrate the festivities.

“I had two pitchers, but I started getting sick of the beer, so I had a green cider,” SU senior Paige Hartquist said. “It tasted the same as a regular cider but was green.”

Photo by Surya Vaidy

An American and Irish flag fly together over Coleman’s Pub on Tipperary Hill.

With the green beer taps empty for now, Maya Terzi reflected on her Green Beer Sunday experience with a new appreciation for St. Patrick’s Day, thanks to the Syracuse tradition.

“I’m not Irish. But today, I was.”