The turning point for Arlington's burgeoning pub crawl may have been St. Patrick's Day, a time when the Arlington County Police Department found itself swamped by hordes of drunken revelers. Police say the March 15 pub crawl had more than 5,400 participants, a crowd that required more than 50 Arlington police officers working from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. They made 25 arrests, broke up 17 fights and caught 17 men urinating in public. They also escorted more than 100 drunken revelers to taxicabs.
Now, county leaders say, it's time for a crackdown.
Last weekend, members of the Arlington County Board voted unanimously to require new permits for pub-crawl events. County officials say they've seen a significant increase in pub crawls and the participants in them since the county adopted its special events policy in 2012. Now County Manager Barbara Donnellan has been asked to develop a plan to assess fees and charge pub crawl event organizers for police, fire and emergency services. The new regulations are expected to be in place before Oktoberfest.