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Two long lines wrapped around the corner. A sea of green. Chants of “USA.” Thousands of people. And one goal: drinking green beer.

Each year, Green Beer Sunday kicks off Syracuse’s St. Patrick’s Day season at Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub on Tipperary Hill. It’s a chance for Syracuse locals and Syracuse University students to come together.

“I mean, we’re here in Syracuse. We’ve got to embrace where we are, right?” SU senior Alex Calabrese said. “The people here are great.”

Since the 1960s, the annual event has been hosted by Coleman’s owners — first Peter Coleman and then passed to his son Dennis Coleman. Coleman’s provides about 10,000 gallons of green beer for the St. Patrick’s season, according to NPR. Tipp Hill celebrated its 64th annual Green Beer Sunday this year.

At the pub, one line led customers outside, with food trucks and music by DJ Skeet and Mere Mortals. The other line led people into Coleman’s, where the restaurant continued to sell its Irish fare and classic green beer.

Some funneled into Green Beer Sunday at 11 a.m. sharp when Coleman’s doors opened; others stayed outside lined up alongside the sidewalk for a glimpse of the parade. Those already inside crowded the front of the fence, peaking through to watch the performers.

Irish dance teams, Irish churches and kilt-wearing bagpipe players marched. The Green Beer Sunday truck, with its very own tap, concluded the parade.

The only people who interrupted the sea of green were those in United States hockey jerseys. Part of the day turned into a celebration of the U.S.’ gold medal Olympic win over Canada. Wearing a USA jersey, Calabrese started his day watching the game and continued the celebrations at Green Beer Sunday.

Hosted by Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub, Green Beer Sunday extends outside of the pub. Irish dance teams, Irish churches and kilt-wearing bag pipe players march in the parade outside, ending with The Green Beer Sunday truck, who has its very own tap. Cassie Roshu | Senior Staff Photographer

Instead of a jersey — like most attendees — SU senior Ryan Vaughey wore green. For her, this was a Guinness sweater with her friend Ella Welch.

“When we were in line, there were people we’d never met before, like people from here, and there was a sense of camaraderie,” Vaughey said. “Everyone was watching the USA-Canada game and everyone was cheering, and it was so cool to be a part of that.”

Cindy O’Brien, a 65-year-old Syracuse local, has watched the parade for about the last 10 years, but she never enters Coleman’s. Like she does on other Green Beer Sundays, O’Brien sat in a lawn chair across the street, decked out in four-leaf-clover leggings and green accessories. With all the festivities, she said she prefers to go to Coleman’s on a calmer evening for French onion soup.

“Over the years, there’s a lot more kids, there really is,” O’Brien said. “And I mean, it’s great for Tipperary Hill, but God bless them.”

O’Brien said seeing other generations participate in green beer “revives” her since she grew up in the area. The clothing has changed, she said, but the community event has continued.

A few feet away from O’Brien, 29-year-old Melissa Moran was with a crowd. Every year, her friends and family host a tailgate, and she estimates that her family has attended Green Beer Sunday ever since it started in the 1960s. Moran participated in the parade as a dancer on her Irish dance team as a kid, and once she could legally drink, she participated in Green Beer Sunday fully.

“We always look forward to the season and taking off St. Patrick’s Day season and setting up a big event, rain or shine or snow, whatever, and everybody knows where to find us,” Moran said.

For 37-year-old Mary Susan Regin, Green Beer Sunday is a sign that spring is coming. It’s the “start of the season” where everyone can come together in anticipation of the rest of the spring’s events, she said. The season is packed with events like the Shamrock Run, a parade and the holiday itself.

Regin, who is Irish and grew up in Tipp Hill, has participated in all the events for a long time. This year, Regin was crowned Miss Green Beer.

Regin knows Dennis and knew his late father, along with some of the bartenders at Coleman’s. She’s very active at St. Patrick’s Church, where she teaches religious education.

“I just think it’s a fun title to have,” Regin said. “But being Irish, I’m proud of my Irish heritage.”

Regin attended the SU women’s basketball game against Clemson last weekend. While sitting to watch the game, she heard a group of SU students talking about going to Green Beer Sunday. As this year’s Miss Green Beer, she decided to interject.

“I literally turned around, and I’m like, ‘Are you talking about Green Beer Sunday?’” Regin asked. “And I’m like, ‘Well, I’m pretty involved, so I can give you all the details.’ And they were so excited.”

Vaughey and Welch said Green Beer Sunday seems to be a big event for seniors; they learned about it from alumni. The two both studied abroad, and Vaughey said Coleman’s was reminiscent of the Irish pubs she visited.

The bars on Marshall Street have gotten a bit repetitive, Vaughey and Welch said. They’ve been searching for more options around Syracuse, and they attended Coleman’s for the first time on Sunday.

“A lot of the time people on the Hill are so disconnected, and I think that this is one of the events where it merges the wider Syracuse community with the people who go to school here in such a fun environment,” Welch said.

Coleman’s does a good job of making everyone feel welcome, Moran said. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are or where you’re from: Everyone is welcome.

“Green Beer, it’s just a big sense of just togetherness, which I love,” Vaughey said.

Disclaimer: Alex Calabrese formerly worked as a staff writer for The Daily Orange. Calabrese did not influence the editorial content of this article.

Published on February 22, 2026 at 8:28 pm
Contact Rosina: rosinaboehm@dailyorange.com