Halloween in Chico can be quite fun for all ages. In fact, Chico State students have been known to make Halloween a traditional event not to be forgotten with an incredible number of celebrations. 2001, in particular, will be remembered as the most violent Halloween ever. But since then, initiatives by the city have made Halloween a safer event for everyone.

Where to take the Kids

Between 2 and 5pm, the immediate downtown area of Chico offers parents and kids a very safe Halloween. It is known as Treat Street. Over 70 shop doors open up early in the afternoon to hand out large amounts of goodies to all of the mysterious young ghouls of Chico. Making it even more safe with less parental stress, maps are made available to ensure there's no stray wanderings.

Pumpkin Patches

There are many patches to bring the kids to. Some may even have Sugar Pie pumpkins, which are better suited for baking a nice spicy pumpkin pie! Mmm!

Halloween Safety Measures

During Halloween weekend '07 and several years prior, there have been heavy police presence all around downtown Chico enforcing a declared No Glass area and maintaining sobriety check points. The Chico Police Department hoped to encourage students and other party goers to stay in their homes for their ghoulish celebrations. But they also have been observing party notices on sites like MySpace and peremptorily shutting down parties. Basically the police take advantage of the fact that many lease agreements have restrictions on large gatherings, and so they let would-be party hosts know that they're about to break the law. From the standpoint of Chico PD, this was very effective.

One of the biggest reasons why Halloween has gone out of control in the past was because the parties became popular with not only those in Chico but people from out of the city and around the state. Some apartment complexes warn their tenants to not invite people from out of the city for celebrations. In addition, with enhanced police presence throughout the areas surrounding downtown, it is hoped that the violence of 2001 is never repeated. :)

Comments

2008-10-17 22:03:51   I don't buy the argument that shutting down Chico's downtown for Halloween is in the least a good idea - it succeeds in shoving the mess into otherwise quiet residential neighborhoods. That was my experience anyways. —JohnElias

2009-10-27 04:30:35   i dont buy shuting downtown chico for halloween is a good idea in any way. there is other ways to handle it. the funny part is the money that comes in helps keep the stores and some money goes to the police dept and so on down the list and they are taking money away from the town they work for —24.23.18.93

Add tags