SU students Hot Dog Hop their way to bars

A weather advisory and Orange Alert urged students to stay warm and indoors Saturday, but subzero temperatures did little to deter Syracuse University students from hopping between bars for the university’s first-ever Hot Dog Hop.

Syracuse University was one of 54 stops on the nationwide bar crawl. Participants paid a $25 starting fee, which granted access to all participating Marshall Street bars, discounted drinks and a hot dog costume to keep.

Students stopped at Faegan’s Pub, Lucy Blu Island Bar and Club, Orange Crate Brewing Company and Harry’s Bar, lining Marshall Street in a parade of foam hot dog buns stretched over winter coats and scarves. The event mirrored the popular banana bar crawl, a longtime SU favorite. Orange Crate also offered a $2 hot dog deal during the crawl.

While concerns over the weather kept some students away, SU senior Devin Sampson said she and her friends were unwilling to miss the fun.

“Weather can never stop the fun — we just layered up,” Sampson said. “The hot dog costume also helped in the cold.”

Sampson said she has not missed a bar crawl since turning 21 and did not want to break her streak.

“As a senior, I am trying to get the most out of the time I have left, so I felt like this was a non-negotiable,” Sampson said.

She also said she prefers costume-themed crawls because they remove the pressure to dress up.

“It brings out everybody’s silly personalities because it’s less about looks and people aren’t worrying about making a fool of themselves,” Sampson said.

The crawl also featured promotions, including a chance to win a pair of Pit Viper sunglasses if you took a shot, though Sampson said she missed out while spending time on the dance floor.

“My favorite song to dance to was ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ by Bad Bunny because of Super Bowl preparation, but also I just really love that song,” Sampson said. “His music is really easy to dance to even if you might not understand every lyric.”

Many students attended hot-dog-themed pregame events before heading out. Sampson attended a pregame with friends where hot dogs served as both food and decoration.

SU senior Rylee Dang also hosted a pregame, making three packs of hot dogs — all of which were eaten.

Due to the weather, Dang and her friends took Uber rides both ways, which she said added to the expenses. 

“It was a shame that there weren’t a ton of people who ended up going this time because of the weather—it was a lot less packed than other bar crawls,” Dang said.

Nevertheless, she still enjoyed dressing up and dancing with friends.

“I think banana and hot dog crawl are the most fun because of how silly they are in concept.”