OPINION: Crowds, costumes and chaos: Comparing Athens Halloween then and now
Since 1974, the Athens Halloween Block party has been iconic. Recently, there have been many changes aimed at keeping students and Athens residents safe. But, has the spirit of the block party remained the same despite these changes? To examine this question, I sat down with my parents, who graduated from Ohio University in 1998. During their time at OU, crowds amassed over 30,000 people, between both Ohio U students and students of other colleges. To put this into perspective, this is more people than Halloween now. Students crammed multiple students into their dorm rooms to accommodate friends who traveled from other schools to participate in the Halloween festivities.
My parents recall people coming not just from Ohio, but from various states across the country. Reflecting on people visiting Athens for Halloween, my dad remarked, "It was just the thing to do.” These days, many people invite their friends, but students living in dorms are subject to strict rules. Guests must pay a $50 fee and must be registered well in advance. Students living in dorms, as well as their guests, must wear a wristband issued by the residence hall all weekend to be let back into their residence halls. In the 90s, there were no restrictions on guests. Students would have friends sleeping on the floor in their tiny dorm rooms. My parents never invited friends because of the chaos of the weekend.
Parking was also a major issue. With tens of thousands of people flooding into town, finding a spot within walking distance of Athens was nearly impossible. On top of that, traffic coming into Athens—stretching as far as Nelsonville—was at a complete standstill, according to my parents.
I asked my parents what their plans typically were on Halloween weekend. To my surprise the plans looked similar to what students now do. In mid-afternoon, they would go to a friend's house or have friends come over to get ready. Then, they would go to another friend’s place to hang out and start drinking.
After that, parties were popular. Toward the end of the night, they would go as a group to walk up and down Court Street until they were bored or to listen to live music onstage. Like now, there was a stage set up on Court Street and the street was blocked off. However, the setup was the opposite of how it is now. The stage in the 90s was set up on State Street by the gas station, instead of by right outside of Class Gateway.
The street was blocked off all the way from Union Street down to Carpenter Street. Bars were fairly unpopular; the streets were so packed with people that it was nearly impossible to even get into a bar. Parties were how students typically celebrated. My parents said these parties were typically of someone you knew, not one you found by walking down popular streets such as Mill Street. Since students brought many friends, parties in people’s dorm rooms were popular as well, which is not something we see as often today.
Arrests were documented and typically reported at news stations across the state. Often, these people were not Ohio U students. In 1994, there were 87 people arrested on Friday and 210 people arrested on the Saturday of Halloween weekend. Much like today, my parents said that those getting arrested weren’t just being charged with underage drinking. The individuals arrested were behaving excessively and posing a threat to others' safety. Police were frustrated by the amount of people flocking to the small town of Athens. In 1996, in an interview with The Post, Athens Police Chief Rick Mayor even said, “If they had a Halloween person like the grinch on Christmas, I would be that person.”
One thing that has changed dramatically from my parents' time as a student to mine is costumes. Now, there are plenty of ideas for costumes on social media platforms. Without the internet, Halloween goers had to rely on their own imagination to think of what to wear. In addition to this, there were no pre-made costumes like we see online on Amazon or in-store at Spirit Halloween. Ohio U students typically put together their costumes with items from home. Another popular place to get costumes in the 90s was at Schoolkids Records. Schoolkids sold records and CDs primarily, but the second floor was full of costumes similar to Uptown Costumes on Court Street today.
As for my parents, their costumes at Ohio U included three blind mice and cheese, an upside down skeleton, Q-tips, a Christmas tree and a prisoner. For crafty students, my mom noted that Joann Crafts was another popular place to get supplies to make a costume. Another significant difference with costumes is that they weren’t designed to be revealing or provocative. Nowadays, many costumes are sometimes modified to make characters appear more sexualized.
Now that my parents are no longer college students and are now a mother and father , I found it important to ask if they felt I was safe and if they felt they were safe during the craziness of the weekend. When I asked, they were quick to answer that they both felt extremely safe during their time there and had no concerns about their safety. However, with the rise of gun violence, they said they may feel more uneasy in the present day with 30,000 people in one place at a time. They really enjoyed it while they were there, but now they recognize the problems it brings to the community and the college.
The block party, regardless of the year, puts an immense strain on both the police and fire department. In its prime years in the 90s, it also created a bad reputation that the university has spent years trying to combat. In 1998, the year after my parents graduated, the university urged students to change the stigma. In a 1998 issue from The Post, the university put an ad in that reads, “If you drink on Halloween, you won't have to wear a mask. Alcohol will have already changed you. Change the culture before the culture changes you.”
Overall, my parents enjoyed their times, but looking back at it, they said that it was very annoying with the amount of people on campus. Food options on campus were limited to only the dining halls because of the long lines at restaurants in the uptown area. My mom’s favorite memory was walking down Court Street and seeing all the creative costume ideas people had. My dad’s favorite memory is from when he was walking on Court Street and unexpectedly saw a childhood friend at a street corner, someone he hadn’t seen in years and who hadn’t gone to Ohio U.
In reflecting on the Athens' Halloween Block Party, it’s clear that while many aspects have changed, some elements have stayed the same. The sheer size and chaos of the event in the '90s might have diminished, but the energy and excitement surrounding the celebration persist. Though restrictions have been added to ensure safety, the creativity, sense of community, and the enduring tradition of students and visitors alike coming together remain integral to the spirit of the block party. As the years pass, Athens continues to adapt while holding onto the essence of what makes this event memorable for generations of Ohio U students.