Santa Barbara braces for last big night of Halloween weekend
It’s like the Mardi Gras of Halloween.
For more than 30 years, college students from across California have been descending on Santa Barbara County’s Isla Vista to party for the Halloween weekend. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people are expected tonight in the Isla Vista area, near UC Santa Barbara.
Police have increased patrols for the multi-day celebration, which started Thursday. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department along with the college police and the California Highway Patrol watch over the weekend’s revelry. Patrol units from Ventura County and Los Angeles are in town, too.
Over the last two days, 122 people were arrested for alcohol-related offenses, said Lt. Kelly Moore of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. The area historically nets a large number of arrests on Halloween.
“This is one of the largest parties in California,” Moore said.
People come from out of town every year for the party. Hotels are full, and between 200 and 250 officers from various jurisdictions will be out tonight, Moore said.
Last year, police made 220 arrests and issued 438 citations. Fifty-five people were taken to the hospital, mainly due to alcohol-related problems. Two people fell off cliffs in the Del Playa area, one of whom sustained serious injuries.
The three-day party is expected to wind down Sunday, with a few scragglers who are “die-hard” partiers, Moore said. “They are going to get every penny out of that costume,” he said.
David Cunningham, a sophomore at UC Santa Barbara, said people get “packed like tuna” during Halloween.
Alex Cruz, a junior at UC Santa Barbara, lives in the most popular party area of Isla Vista. He held a party Thursday and Friday and plans to hold one tonight. “It’s a fun, fun atmosphere,” he said.
Cruz, who dressed up as a wizard in a Snuggie, said the Isla Vista Halloween experience might even be a little crazier than Mardi Gras.
“It’s probably the only place in California where you can find Lady Gaga, construction workers and ninja turtles all in the same street,” he said.
-- Nicole Santa Cruz
