Campus teams with students, neighbors and local agencies to ensure a safe and serene Halloween

Continuing a successful collaboration around Halloween, UC Santa Barbara has again partnered with students and the broader community to develop an array of rules, regulations, safety enhancement and alternative events from Oct. 25 – Nov. 4.

The Recreation Center, starting at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, will hosts its annual alternative event, Hallowheels, offering roller skating, pumpkin painting, silent disco, photo booth, costume contests, e-sports, free food and candy, a spooky movie, s'mores, cornhole and more. The event is a collaboration of the Department of Recreation, Health & Wellness, Life of the Party, Gauchos for Recovery, and Woodstocks Pizza. 

The Associated Students Program Board again presents its popular students-only concert event, Delerium, featuring two artists over two nights, Thursday, Oct. 24 and Friday, Oct. 25, at the Thunderdome.

Off campus, the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District (IVRPD), is sponsoring a haunted pumpkin patch event in Anisq’Oyo’ Park from 7–11 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30 and Thursday, Oct. 31. IVRPD also brings back silent disco, over the same two nights, in Cool Corner near Embarcadero Hall, sponsored by AS Program Board. This free community event will also feature carnival games, photo booth, and a “Bumpkin Bargain Passport” featuring coupons to local businesses. Night one offers screenings of classic black and white silent films; on night two, IVRPD partners with UCSB Fashion Club on a costume contest, with a grand prize of $750.

In addition, the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) now sponsors safety stations, staffed by UCSB Community Service Officers, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Friday and Saturday, at both Little Acorn Park and Window to the Sea Park. 

All events are designed to keep Halloween a locally focused occasion. The campus continues to team on these efforts with myriad community partners, including IVCSD, IVRPD, Isla Vista Foot Patrol, the City of Goleta and Santa Barbara County.

As in past years, no overnight guests are allowed in any of UC Santa Barbara residence halls or in university-owned apartments (except Family Student Housing) from 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 to 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3.

Campus officials have worked diligently to develop a parking plan to help ensure the safety of our campus community of students, faculty, staff and others who are authorized to use campus facilities during the Halloween period.  Additional measures will be put in place to discourage unauthorized use of campus parking facilities to gain access to Isla Vista during Halloween.

Effective Friday, Oct. 25, and Saturday, Oct. 26, the campus will be closed to overnight visitor parking.  Campus checkpoints will be set up beginning at 5 p.m. Friday and will continue as needed throughout the weekend in order to provide safety and security to the campus. Unauthorized vehicles will be denied access without prior approval.  

In order to park on campus overnight on the dates identified above, all vehicles must be registered with valid Reserved, A, B, C, H, or an Annual Night & Weekend ePermit.

Short-term ePermits, including Daily, 15-Day Night & Weekend, and Visitor permits issued from the TPS Permit Portal, Permit Dispensers, and ParkMobile will expire at midnight, Friday, Oct. 25, and Saturday, Oct. 26.  These permits are not valid for overnight parking.  Unauthorized vehicles parked overnight on campus are subject to a $300 citation and vehicle impounding at the owner’s expense.  The enhanced parking restrictions will cease between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to allow for normal business on campus.

As in previous years, a number of campus parking locations are subject to closure and access will be limited to support enhanced safety and security measures.

The festival ordinance prohibiting amplified music at residences will be in place from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day between Saturday, Oct. 26, and Monday, Nov. 4. Violations of the ordinance can incur fines of up to $500. The special events right-of-way ordinance, which prohibits attracting a crowd that blocks the street — or participating in an event that blocks the street — also carries fines as high as $500.