For the first time since 1996, Carbondale is shutting down the Strip for Halloween.

On July 5, Molly Hudgins, the executive director of the Southern Illinois University Alumni Association, confirmed to a crowd of cheering alumni that three blocks of U.S. 51 — known locally as the Strip — will be closed for Halloween, with the supervision from the city of Carbondale.

On Oct. 24, the stretch of Illinois Avenue from West College Street to West Walnut Street will close starting at 11 a.m. with family-oriented fun beginning shortly afterward. In the late afternoon, businesses along Illinois Avenue will partake in kids’ trick-or-treating, with live music starting at 4:30 p.m. The lineup is not yet confirmed, but Hudgins says it will feature iconic Carbondale bands and acts meant to draw students, all on two different stages with a variety of genres.

The conversation of bringing Halloween back to Carbondale has been brought up by alumni, faculty and students who have heard about or experienced Carbondale’s fun — and chaotic — Halloween history.

After years of raucous Halloween parties that got out of hand in the ‘80s and ‘90s, SIU and the city of Carbondale made efforts to tamp down on the wild celebrations, instituting mandatory university closures, a ban on keg sales and the forced closure of bars along the Strip during the holiday weekend. As Carbondale’s party mindset relaxed — and student populations shrank — the school and the town have slowly peeled back the regulations with little incident.

When Hudgins first came back to the Alumni Association, people kept asking if Halloween would ever come back.

“When I returned to the Alumni Association two years ago, one of the things that people kept saying to me was that it would be great to bring back the fun — to bring back Halloween and do this again,” Hudgins said.

The Alumni Association shut down the Strip for a concert during Homecoming weekend last year, using it as a way to test the waters for this year’s closure. They partnered with the city of Carbondale in October 2024 to close down the Strip so the iconic Jungle Dawgs could play their final live set.

“As we began to plan Homecoming this year, one of the things that fell into our favor was that Homecoming fell on the date that traditional Halloween weekend would fall on,” Hudgins said. “In partnership with (the Student Programming Council), Student Affairs themed Homecoming this year to be ‘Spooktacular.’ It’s a Halloween theme that led into the opportunity to close down the Strip in the name of Halloween.”

Carbondale Halloween was traditionally held the weekend before the holiday on Oct. 31, until tricks and treats turned to riots and restrictions in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Halloween celebrations in the 1970s often contained thousands of people from all corners of the state crammed onto the Strip. But the events were mostly family-friendly, and while parties were large, things didn’t get out of hand until the late ‘70s — when a reported crowd of more than 700 people blocked traffic on Illinois Avenue and flipped a car.

In 1980, legendary comedian John Candy filmed the Halloween party that year for his TV special “Roadshow.” Playboy magazine also rated SIU as one of the nation’s top party schools in one of their issues, but that wasn’t the only issue the parties picked up.

According to a 2021 Daily Egyptian article, property damage, theft and people flipping cars were only a few of the crimes committed when the parties were at their peak in the ‘80s. Some partygoers would jump off business roofs and into the crowd, while others clashed with law enforcement. In a 2023 interview with WSIU, John Jackson, a former SIU administrator, said a partygoer was killed by a train during one Halloween celebration.

Partygoers were not just SIU students and Carbondale residents — people came from universities across the state and from neighboring states. In 1985, tens of thousands of people were partying in downtown Carbondale, resulting in dozens of injuries and thousands of dollars in property damage. Everything reached an inflection point.

SIU and the city put their feet down in the late 1980s, banning alcohol sales during the week of Halloween while SIU simultaneously held events aimed at drawing students away from the Strip. For those who decided to party on the Strip, they were watched by police in riot gear, waiting to clear people off of the Strip by force.

“One of the officers walked past me and Maced me,” said SIU alumnus Ray Lisiak, who attended the ‘94 party. “I was just sitting on a set of stairs as the whole place was getting cleared out, and I wasn’t a part of that riot, but people were doing mosh pits, getting crazy and crowd surfing.”

That year, in response to a 10 p.m. curfew, partiers stormed the Strip, flipped cars and threw trash cans through windows, Lisiak said.

In 1995, the tradition had one last big stand that led to 14 arrests. Then, the Halloween turmoil died down.

Salukis still partied on through the rest of the ’90s and into the early 2000s, even with a five-day break during Halloween weekend mandated by SIU. They gathered at house parties in secret, known as “Unofficial” Halloween. During the 2010s, the City of Carbondale slowly lifted its Halloween bans in response to the party atmosphere calming down.

Unofficial Halloween parties still go on to this day, as many places within city limits still host their own events. One of those places is Sigma Chi, a fraternity located two blocks from where the Strip is shutting down. President Griffin Crear said the Strip shutting down should not affect attendance for their Unofficial Halloween parties — which they still plan to host.

“Honestly, I don’t think the Strip shutting down will have a negative impact as far as attendance goes,” Crear said. “I still think a lot of people will go to Unofficial parties and then go to Levels later.”

Alumni may have pushed for the shutdown of the Strip for Halloween, but they also pushed for strong security during the event. Kelly Fark, a 1996 graduate of SIU, said that she’d like to see safety prioritized.

“You say ‘SIU’ and others say ‘party school’ and then the conversation turns to the Halloween parties,” Fark said. “I think they should have Halloween — but with a lot of security.”

Carbondale law enforcement will be present at the Strip during the event, but City Manager and Police Chief Stan Reno declined to reveal the number of officers.

“The Carbondale Police Department will provide additional staffing in the area of the event to ensure the safety of all attendees,” Reno said. “Our officers will have a visible presence and are focused on maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone.”

Reno said the city’s goal is to create a fun, inclusive, nostalgic and safe atmosphere.

“The City, SIU, and the planning committee are committed to continuing that success by organizing a safe, welcoming event that celebrates both Homecoming and Halloween,” he said.

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