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As midnight approached, Faegan’s Cafe & Pub was filled with reinvigorated energy as trays of champagne were passed around the bar. Customers, mostly Syracuse University seniors, hurriedly grabbed champagne from the trays as the minutes on Faegan’s digital clock ran down to six days, zero hours, zero minutes and zero seconds, which indicated how many days were left before Sunday’s commencement.

Right as midnight struck, SU senior Jake Warcaba climbed on the bar table with a microphone in hand to make a speech. The entire bar went quiet and the mingling came to an end. The revelers anticipated what Warcaba planned to address.

“I think we can all agree that when we look back at our college experience, however many years it may be from now, this place is going to be a big part of those memories,” Warcaba said.

On Sunday night, Faegan’s hosted its 42nd annual Senior Blow-Out to celebrate the class of 2026’s graduation. The night included free champagne, drink deals and a speech from Warcaba, who spoke on behalf of the senior class customers, thanking the bar for the countless memories while toasting to the graduating class.

The tradition first started in 1984, when then-Faegan’s employee Fritz Hottenstein came up with the idea to make Faegan’s come alive on Sundays — a day not many students would venture to the bars. From the first Sunday of the school year to the Sunday of graduation, Faegan’s was open to the public, offering customers a midnight shot special, Faegan’s owner Ben Cook said.

With the idea coming to life, Senior Sundays at Faegan’s were born.

During Senior Sundays, Cook remembers having a countdown to how many Sundays were left before graduation. Back then, there weren’t any digital clocks, so Cook devised a sign with numbered slips of paper. Every time the clock hit midnight, Cook would rip the paper, signaling graduation getting closer and closer. By the time the countdown ran down to zero, Cook passed the empty sign to a new loyal Faegan’s customer every year ahead of graduation.

However, Faegan’s decided to shift its Senior Sunday celebrations when fewer customers came to the bar on Sundays. Cook speculated that it was an unexpected phenomenon that saw this decrease in customers on Sundays.

“I think (Senior Sundays) kind of stopped, believe it or not, when ‘The Sopranos’ came out, and people stopped coming out because it was such a hit show that everyone stayed at home to watch ‘The Sopranos,’” Cook said.

Now, Faegan’s holds a Senior Sunday on the first Sunday of the school year and two events on the last two Sundays of the school year: Senior Blow-Out and Senior Send-off, which gather friends and family to the bar.

Faegan’s Cafe & Pub is packed with Syracuse University seniors. At the end of Faegan’s Senior Blow-Out, the crowd sang and danced to DJ Ötzi’s “Hey Baby.” Ike Wood | Senior Staff Photographer

During their freshman year at SU, Belinda Chan and Gabriella Johnson were strangers, often staying in their dorms and afraid to branch out — a predicament many freshmen face when entering college. The pair nearly transferred out of SU after their freshman year. However, when they decided to stay, they met each other through their random roommates.

On Sunday, the two seniors celebrated Chan’s 22nd birthday at Faegan’s.

As Chan and Johnson sat on a table toward the back of Faegan’s, they reminisced about their time at SU, joining the same sorority and taking Wine and Beer Appreciation class together. As the two looked at the clock winding down, they tracked the days, hours, minutes and seconds before their time at SU would soon become treasured memories.

“On day 17, that was our last Flip Night. It was after our beer and wine class, and then I was like, ‘That’s so far away, that’s nothing, it’s fine.’ And then all of a sudden we have six days left,” Johnson said.

Ava Galley and Jay Hrdy, SU seniors, were coming from Orange Crate Brewing Company when they saw a large crowd going into Faegan’s. Galley, Hrdy and their friend group followed the crowd and entered Faegan’s bustling setting.

The bar, which Galley said usually boasts a more relaxed atmosphere with people socializing and playing cards, was transformed into a spirited environment. Faegan’s had 2000s music, which the senior class grew up with, booming through the speakers. Crowds were packed back-to-back and a Busch Light Apple tower could be seen stacked on a table nearly all the way up to the ceiling.

Hrdy’s favorite Faegan’s memory was not as a customer, but as a former employee at Faegan’s. Galley’s favorite memories included all the bar crawls she experienced, with Faegan’s always being the final stop of the crawl. That’s where she’d often bring her Mini Uno cards to play with her friends.

So, when Galley, Hrdy and their friends arrived at Faegan’s Senior Blow-Out, they were in for a surprise.

“It kind of felt like New Year’s. But even after (Warcaba) did his speech, a lot of people, even over the bar, were hugging the bartenders. And I thought that was really sweet,” Galley said.

Last month, Cook asked Warcaba to give the Senior Blow-Out speech. After seeing his friend give the speech last year, Warcaba was honored to be the one up on the table, celebrating with the seniors. After all, he’s been a loyal customer at Faegan’s from the beginning.

Syracuse University seniors admire a tower of stacked Busch Light Apple cans. Faegan’s Pub & Cafe blared 2000s music during the Senior Blow-Out. Ike Wood | Senior Staff Photographer

When writing his speech, Warcaba wanted to dedicate it to the Faegan’s staff for their time serving the customers. The bar has become a place where the seniors created endless memories, which was why Warcaba agreed to make the speech. After seeing Faegan’s hard work come together to plan the annual event, Warcaba said he was honored to make the speech in front of the packed bar.

“They are the ones that make the environment at Faegan’s,” Warcaba said. “They treat you like a real customer and build a relationship with you. Thank you to them.”

Among the staff members Warcaba dedicated his speech to, he thanked Cook for making Faegan’s a popular destination for SU seniors, as well as Doug Peltier, a Faegan’s bartender and manager when Cook wasn’t there.

Peltier has worked at Faegan’s since 2017, where he’s become a friendly face around the bar as well as on campus. A social butterfly, Peltier’s been known to remember nearly every customer’s name. Warcaba has even seen Peltier recite over 100 names of the people in the bar.

After Warcaba thanked Cook for his hospitality, he searched for Peltier in the busy crowd. When Warcaba spotted Peltier across the table standing behind the bar, the whole crowd erupted: “Doug! Doug! Doug!”

That’s how much Peltier meant to the Faegan’s crowd.

“Of course, it always feels good to get that kind of reaction from the crowd,” Peltier said. “I’ve worked a career in food service, and I always feel like there’s great mobility in service. The last thought these kids should have when they’re leaving is, ‘When are we coming back?’”

Since working at Faegan’s, Peltier has gotten to know this senior class well, specifically the bar’s loyal customers. Whether it’s sparking conversations with the seniors or being the first person to introduce beer to those who don’t like the drink, Peltier’s friendly face, along with the rest of the staff, has seen many customers become employees at the bar.

“It’s always bittersweet. You get to know these kids over a year or two, and they end up working for you,” Peltier said. When you start bartending, you really have to be on your game. My philosophy is always you should be the puppeteer and not the puppet guide.”

With the clock hitting five days, 23 hours and 56 seconds, the night ended with Warcaba popping open a champagne bottle, spraying champagne onto everyone seated at the bar, the Faegan’s bell ringing one last hoorah and the crowd singing and dancing to DJ Ötzi’s “Hey Baby.”

But, Warcaba couldn’t end the night without one last goodbye.

“Congratulations to the Class of 2026. Cheers to Faegan’s,” Warcaba said. “Let’s have a f-cking night.”

Published on May 5, 2026 at 12:47 am
Contact Tara: tabintes@syr.edu