Unofficial is a holiday at the University of Illinois that students celebrate 1-2 weeks before St. Patrick’s Day. Created because St. Patrick’s Day often falls during Spring Break, it is a celebration that closely resembles St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in other cities: green clothing, green beer, and greetings of “top of the morning to ye’.”
The date of Unofficial 2010 will be March 5, 2010.
Recently, Unofficial celebrations have taken on a negative connotation. As Urban Dictionary puts it, “The day is marked by bars opening at 8 in the morning, kegs on front lawns, students from nearly all surrounding schools flooding the campus to celebrate by drinking obscene amounts of alcohol. It has been said that more drinking occurs on Unofficial at U of I than occurs at many other school’s entire years.”
Every year the issue becomes a hot-button issue on the Illinois campus around mid-February as the holiday approaches.
Parent Programs Office: Unofficial
The Quad: Irish Illini
Unofficial: U of I Wiki
Be sure to check back here for more information regarding Unofficial. Have some Unofficial news? Let us know in the comments.
Image courtesy Musebrarian (Creative Commons License).
January 24th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
As much fun as Unofficial is, I think Miami University’s Green Beer Day celebration is bigger. The bars here open at 530am. And the crazy thing is, although many don’t go to class, a ton of students get a kick out of going to class completely wasted. It may be a close call, but Miami may have U of I beat on that. Either way though its a great way to celebrate Patty’s day, now that the City of Chicago took away the infamous south side irish parade.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
Illinois State University has one of the wildest Halloween’s in the mid-west hands down. With Unofficial ranking 1st, ISU comes in a close 2nd with Halloween
January 30th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Seriously ISU’s Halloween is nothing compare to unofficial more like unofficial 1st and ISU Halloween 51st and I am a Senior ISU student and I have been to unofficial twice.
February 1st, 2010 at 9:01 pm
I was at ISU last semester and I can def attest that unofficial is way cooler than anything that goes on at ISU.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Miamis Green Beer day is far greater. This tradition is far older than U of Is unofficial. Sports Illustrated in 2007 rated it in the top 100 things you need to experience on a college campus. Other notable things ranked were attend a football game at Penn State, or a North Carolina Duke game at Cameron Indoor. The fact that Green Beer day is mentioned with those events proves that Unofficial is not even on the same level. GBD March 4th 2010!!
February 13th, 2010 at 9:16 am
ISU’s halloween isn’t even the best halloween in the midwest – I’m pretty sure that honor goes to UW Madison.
February 22nd, 2010 at 7:35 pm
yeah, UW Madison has the best halloween party hands down…not even close. Also, if you haven’t been to the Mifflin Street Block Party at UW-Madison, I would definately recommend visiting during the first saturday in May.
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:03 pm
UW Madison halloween smashes ISU. Does not even come CLOSE
February 24th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Unofficial sounds like a regular tailgate in Iowa City or Madison every gameday
February 28th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Unoffical has slowed in popularity after the disruptions in class, the poor girls death, and the regulations that the police and city have imposed. The “holiday” when it first began in the 90s wasnt that big of a deal. I was a student in the late 90s and didnt know much about it until I returned to champaign to work later on. It used to be very insane party atmosphere, but not as much now. Still may be fun for the college students. I am too old for that type of shenanigans now and find it more of a nuscience than anything.
ps, the best halloween used to be in carbondale at southern illinois, but they put a stop to that years ago by forcing student to leave campus during that time for a fall break., but from what I hear that was the best halloween in the midwest.
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Uh, Indiana University’s Little 500 is the biggest party week/weekend in the entire nation… Fact.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Rofl@Sam