Hundreds of K-State students, alumni, citizens of Manhattan and visitors flooded the streets and bars of Aggieville in celebration of Fake St. Patrick's Day on Saturday.

Each year, Aggieville plays host to "Fake Patty's Day" about a week before the actual holiday on March 17.

The tradition started at K-State 32 years ago as a way to celebrate locally with classmates because spring break falls on the real St. Patrick's Day.

Partygoers dressed in green packed the streets as early as 9 a.m. and stayed late into the evening to visit Aggiville's bars, many of which offered drink specials, free T-shirts or free food.

Kite's Grille and Bar in Aggieville gave out free T-shirts in the morning, offered a green eggs and ham buffet and had drink specials all day, the most popular being $3.50 bottles of green beer.

"It's a great day," said Freeheley Buster, manager of Kite's. "Working it can be stressful because of the large crowd, but it's good for Aggieville because it brings a lot of business, and people seem to enjoy themselves."

Participants walked the streets of Aggieville in green T-shirts, green beads, green ties, green wigs, green face paint and big green hats in the spirit of the holiday.

Armando Velazquez, freshman in journalism and mass communications, celebrated Fake Patty's Day by wearing a wig, T-shirt and beads, all green.

He said the best thing about the day was "everybody's enthusiasm, how everyone dressed in green T-shirts, different costumes and accessories — just everyone's overall excitement about the holiday."

Thread, an Aggieville store specializing in custom-made T-shirts, was flooded with customers in search of something witty and green for the holiday.

John Duggan, a sales clerk at the store, said the store had so many orders for custom Fake Patty's Day shirts that it had to stop taking orders on Tuesday, four days before the holiday.

Not everyone was in the Fake Patty's Day spirit, though.

"I think it's a made-up holiday for people to get drunk, so I don't really care," said Ashley Shaff, junior in dietetics and public health nutrition.