November 8, 2024 at 2:39 pm by Jack Dindia, Daily Nexus
Isla Vista Recreation & Park District hosted its fourth annual Halloween Pumpkin Patch at Anisq’Oyo Park on Oct. 30 and 31 from 7-11 p.m. The event featured various activities including carnival games, an ensemble of interactive Halloween characters, silent movies, a photo booth, a silent disco, a costume contest and free pumpkins.
Participants were encouraged to explore the park to win prizes and candy. Jack Dindia / Daily Nexus
Isla Vista Recreation & Park District (IVRPD) Assistant General Manager Luis Valerio, General Manager Kimberly Kiefer and Recreation Coordinator Oscar Ramirez organized the event along with IVRPD. The Isla Vista Community Relations Committee (IVCRC) sponsored the event along with the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD). Most of the event funding was covered by IVRPD’s tax revenue, according to Valerio.
“I think it’s just important to provide a safe space for people to celebrate Halloween, that’s the goal of this event,” Valerio said. “We want people to have fun. Halloween is a very fun time of year, and people like to dress up. I feel like this event kind of helps people have a space to do that.”
The event took place during the Halloween noise ordinance, where from Oct. 26 to Nov. 4 between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., festivals are usually unpermitted. Since the IVRPD event is a permitted festival, they are an exception to the ordinance, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
The main attraction at the event was a scavenger hunt where participants interacted with characters like the oracle, a werewolf and a witch to collect tokens before meeting the “Pumpkin King & Queen,” who would give a free pumpkin as a reward.
IVRPD also hosted a costume contest on Oct. 31 through a collaboration with UC Santa Barbara Fashion Club. The club judged costumes, and the winner received a $750 grand prize from IVRPD.
“Really [the costume contest] is [based] off of creativity. Also, how much people are actually in character with their costumes. And then we do have a little talent portion and a question trivia type thing,” Valerio said.
Valerio said the pumpkin patch was open to all ages, although Isla Vista is a majority college-age students. I.V. residents Rodrigo and Karina Diaz and their children visited the event for their third year in a row.
Third-year biology major Bridgette Stromme attended the event with their friends after hearing that free pumpkins would be provided after the scavenger hunt.
“I think we’re all gonna go carve our pumpkins when we get home, which will be fun,” Stromme said.
Valerio helped coordinate the main logistics of the event, including contacting the lighting and production team, security services and the active production team. The silent disco was sponsored by the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB), which selected DJs who played house and electronic music.
Each character in the scavenger hunt hosted workshops, like the werewolf, who taught participants how to howl properly. Participants could also meet the character Mr. Bunger who was giving out “Bunger Bucks,” or fake money to “interns” who comply with his requests. While Bunger was recruiting participants, the Pumpkin King spoke in protest of Bunger’s “ill intentions.”
“Don’t listen to this man! I am the Pumpkin King. He is trying to turn this place into a commercial, capitalist zone,” the Pumpkin King said. “We don’t want that. We want the spirit of Halloween.”
Isla Vista Parks and Recreation hosted the fourth pumpkin patch from Oct. 30-31. Jack Dindia/ Daily Nexus
A version of this article appeared on p. 4 of the Nov. 7, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.
