With closed off and over-populated streets, cellphone reception is nonexistent. Crumpled cups, trash and other debris make any object that falls on the ground impossible to find.
The last weekend in October, thousands of costumed partiers descend on Court Street for the annual Halloween block party.
Now a city-sanctioned event, the party was once known as an “illegal street takeover” hosted by drunken OU students who poured out of the bars in the middle of the night and caused damage to property and harm to others.
For instance, in 1985, rioters caused $350,000 worth of damage to Peden Stadium when a fire broke out, according to a previous Post article.
Now, the city of Athens and Ohio University collaborate to promote a safe environment for partiers: closing off Court Street, setting up stages for musical acts, increasing law enforcement presence and beefing up security in residence halls.
Last year, law enforcement made 148 arrests — undercover agents from the Ohio Investigative Unit made 98 of the arrests, almost twice as many as Ohio University Police and Athens Police made combined.
As a result, local officials continue to advise OU students to strategically select whom they invite to the party from out of town. Of last year’s arrests, only 17 were students who attended OU, according to a previous Post article.
Though the spring street fests are expected to be rescheduled because of calendar changes from the transition to semesters, Halloween is the only major Ohio University party that will remain relatively unaffected by the switch.
Court Street on Halloween, whether you decide to drink or not, is an experience like no other. The block party is not about the alcohol or the out-of-control partying; rather, it is about the atmosphere, the costumes, the music and all of the hype that goes along with it.
