Isla Vista, Calif. – Gone are the days when Halloween parties dating back to the 1960s were infamous in Isla Vista.
Twenty years ago, the last major event in 2013 drew an estimated 40,000 people and resulted in numerous arrests.
At that time, thousands of people from out of town joined the students in costume as they crisscrossed the streets of Isla Vista.
The noise and parking ordinances were part of an effort to maintain a quiet local environment.
Low-cost concerts exclusive to UCSB Gaucho have featured big-name artists like Snoop Dogg at Thunderdome. It gave students a good alternative to parties.
Well, there’s more to do.
Isla Vista Recreationton & Park District teamed up with the creative folks at Lucidity Festival and Environment Makers to give away a free Halloween pumpkin patch at Anisk Oyo Park.
College students and young children were captivated by the story of Beau Philomire’s Louis Deville and other characters who try to turn IV into a concrete jungle.
By collecting tokens such as guitar picks and feathers, they gained admission to the pumpkin field and met the Pumpkin Queen, played by Vivian Storm.
She shared the importance of keeping the environment green.
Along the way, they had the opportunity to take photos in a quiet disco, paint their faces, play games and dance to their favorite music.
The UCSB student texted a friend and suggested he check it out Monday or Tuesday night.
Young people seem to be having fun.
This is the third pumpkin patch that is part of a larger effort to make IVs safer in the wake of a number of tragedies in communities adjacent to UCSB.
The most recent tragedy involved a man who fell to his death from an apartment deck during a Labor Day weekend party near Walter Capps Park.
Currently, a toilet has been installed in this area to prevent men from falling while relieving themselves.
Organizers hope their efforts will make this year’s Halloween safe and fun, rather than scary.
Posters about the pumpkin patch include a QR code with links to information.
For more information, please visit https://www.ivparks.org.
Your News Channel will have more on Isla Vista’s Halloween celebrations in tonight’s news.