Brookings Pub Crawl Sees More Arrests Than Annual Hobo Days

Brookings County Sheriff's Office reports 32 intakes over the weekend, exceeding last year's Hobo Days total.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 4:35pm

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An extreme close-up of a pair of metal handcuffs against a stark black background, conceptually representing the law enforcement response to the spike in arrests during a local pub crawl event.The surge in arrests during Brookings' annual pub crawl event underscores ongoing challenges with public intoxication and the strain on local law enforcement.Brookings Today

The Brookings County Sheriff's Office reported 32 intakes from 5:00 pm on Friday through 6:00 am on Sunday during the recent pub crawl event in Brookings, South Dakota. This exceeds the 28 intakes recorded during the same timeframe for the 2025 Hobo Days homecoming celebration at South Dakota State University, and nearly doubles the 17 intakes from the previous year's pub crawl.

Why it matters

The spike in arrests during the pub crawl event highlights ongoing challenges with binge drinking and public intoxication in the college town of Brookings. While Hobo Days is a long-standing tradition, the pub crawl has become an increasingly problematic annual event that strains local law enforcement resources.

The details

The Brookings County Sheriff's Office reported 32 intakes, which includes arrests and other detentions, over the course of the recent pub crawl weekend. This exceeds the 28 intakes recorded during the same 36-hour window for the 2025 Hobo Days homecoming celebration at South Dakota State University. The pub crawl intakes also nearly doubled the 17 intakes from the previous year's pub crawl event.

  • The pub crawl event took place from 5:00 pm on Friday through 6:00 am on Sunday.
  • The 2025 Hobo Days homecoming celebration occurred the previous year.

The players

Brookings County Sheriff's Office

The local law enforcement agency that reported the arrest statistics for the pub crawl and Hobo Days events.

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The takeaway

The spike in arrests during the Brookings pub crawl highlights the need for the community to re-evaluate the event and consider ways to promote safer celebrations, whether through increased law enforcement presence, better coordination with local businesses, or exploring alternative programming that doesn't solely revolve around binge drinking.