Halloween, possibly one of the largest events put on by OU, hasn’t always been around and has its origins in Athens just like any other event.
In today’s day and age, Ohio University is known to throw one of the biggest, most festive Halloween parties in the United States. Up until 1974, however, Halloween in Athens was another average day just like any other.
In the fall of 1974, the event that has become known as “HallOUween” for students and foreigners to the university alike, began as a night in which rambunctious bar-goers flooded the streets of Athens, particularly Court Street.
The event became official in the late 1970s when it began being put on by the City of Athens and Ohio University in order to control attendees. Just a few years later, however, this sponsorship ceased due to the party becoming too large to control.
HallOUween has taken place every year since its origins in 1974.
Over the years, the event itself has become nearly unstoppable, as it has continuously taken place each year regardless of the actions that public officials have taken to try to stop it. In 1982, the university held a mock Halloween event on South Green in order to deter some of the guests at the main event. Nonetheless, this mock event was tagged as unsuccessful as it had little to no effect on the celebration less than a half-mile away.
Community groups that had tried to calm the event in order to bring a bit of order to the party had remained unsuccessful until the 1990s. In 1991, however, the City of Athens began to allow for streets to be closed off, parking spots to be rented and musical groups to be welcome to perform for the event.
This change that was made in the early 1990s has been updated to the more modern version of HallOUween.
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While the event has caused some inconveniences over the years, it has become one of the most notable things about Ohio University and has the capability of bringing about positive feedback of OU.
HallOUween has arguably become a very large, cultural importance to the university, and has truly become part of the community as a whole.
Bri Shaniuk is a freshman studying journalism. What do you think about Ohio University's mascot history? Email her at bs714714@ohio.edu.
