Shamrock Café: Alcohol-free St. Patrick’s Day alternative at Laurier

Taps at one of the Laurier’s campus bars will be turned off on St. Patrick’s Day.

Veritas Café will be hosting this year’s Shamrock Café, an alcohol-free alternative for students.

“We want to offer a welcome and warm coffeehouse space for those who want to get together on St. Patrick’s Day without the alcohol,” said Anne Anderson, community pastor at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, one of the organizers of the event.

Now in its fourth year, Shamrock Café is usually held in the seminary’s chapel. But the school is undergoing major renovations, so Veritas Café will be hosting it this year.

“The past three years have been successful events,” Anderson added. “Over 200 students, staff, faculty and wider community members participate each year.”

Shamrock Café is scheduled to take place on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Activities include open mic, board games, snacks and drinks. Chilling With Dogs, a program to help students de-stress with some four-legged friends, will be on hand from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Organizers include the thirdspace_ community at the seminary; the multifaith chaplaincy team at Laurier; Intervarsity Christian Fellowship; Laurier Christian Chinese Fellowship; and Veritas Café.

Everyone is welcome.