The annual Fake Patty’s Day celebration is this coming weekend in Manhattan.

This is the huge party where large crowds will congregate to celebrate in and around Aggieville.

Riley County police spokesman Matt Droge said historically it’s been busy for the police and fire departments, EMS, and many other organizations that work to make Fake Patty’s Day as safe as possible. “This year it’s not going to be much different than last year. We have a plan that we’re just making tweaks to. People are going to see a lot of officer prescence in and around the Aggieville area as well as the residential areas surrounding that central portion of town.”

Droge noted there will be an increase of vehicles with people coming into Manhattan to celebrate, and police are asking for patience on the roads and responsible celebration.

Basically every officer of the RCPD will be working in some fashion. “The day is a little bit longer for the vast majority of us here. And I don’t think that’s untrue of people at the Fire Department and EMS. To help make this weekend as safe as we can make it, it really does take a lot of work from a lot of people.”

Police officers from other agencies in other cities are also called in to assist.

There can be a lot of risk with the over-consumption of alcohol, especially if it is not mixed with food and water.

That’s a key concern, explains Droge. “When you throw into the mix underage and inexperienced drinkers, for lack of a better term, you kind of are creating a situation where there’s the potential for a lot of serious issues.  A lot of these can be medical issues as well. ” Droge added, “So the Police Department, though we are concerned about enforcing local and state laws, we’re also ultimately along with our partners in emergency services concerned about the safety of everyone in the Manhattan community over that 35-hour period.”

The celebration can extend Friday night through early Sunday, with Saturday normally the busiest day.