Filled with stereo systems, partygoers and booze, Friday’s Palmer Place Fest remained relatively calm and fire-free.
The fest began midmorning Friday and continued until security shut the party down at about midnight. Athens Police reported 16 arrests, while the Ohio Investigative Unit reported making 30 arrests, according to documents from Athens Police Capt. Ralph Harvey.
Confined to the courtyard and balconies of Palmer Place, the fest hosted local DJs throughout the day, providing partiers with plenty of music while they played yard and drinking games.
Though relatively calm and free from major incidents, undercover agents from the Ohio Investigative Unit were at the fest to support Athens law enforcement.
The unit, which arrested 49 at High Fest earlier this month, was asked by the city to help focus specifically on underage drinking during fests, said Julie Hinds, spokeswoman for the unit.
“I’m a little worried (about police),” said Hayden Humphrey, a freshman studying business. “We saw a few cops and a few on horses, but I haven’t seen anyone get arrested.”
Last year, Athens Police and the Ohio Investigative Unit made a total of 50 arrests — four more than this year — and 64 in 2010.
But Humphrey said his first Palmer Place Fest experience was one-of-a-kind.
“It’s just a huge amount of people,” she said. “The fact that everyone is drinking and it’s a collective type of thing makes it something I’ve never experienced before.”
Security manager Scott Cunningham said the day’s party remained relatively calm until the evening, when it became rowdier.
Though there was no major incident that caused the fest to end early, partiers began clearing out about midnight, and the early-bird drinkers began preparing for Saturday’s Palmer Fest.
With broken beer bottles and vomit on the courtyard grass, partygoers left their mark on Palmer Place after the event was over, said Shar Smith, a freshman studying sociology.
“Don’t wear flip-flops,” she said. “Wear steel-toed shoes or something.”
— Lucas Daprile and Kaitlynn Grady contributed to this report.
jj360410@ohiou.edu
