Student Experience

Rain Couldn’t Ruin the Return of a Beloved Fall Tradition

October 31, 2022 • By Mike Mather, mike.mather@virginia.edu Mike Mather, mike.mather@virginia.edu

People dressed in costumes trick or treating on the Lawn

An annoying drizzle soaked the Lawn but didn’t keep away hundreds of little boys and ghouls eager to return to the University tradition of Trick or Treating on the Lawn. (Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

For the first time in two years, miniature monsters, diminutive Draculas and wee werewolves roamed the Lawn, filling their Halloween sacks with a hefty haul of sweets.

Halloween Tradition Returns to Grounds

Video:Halloween Tradition Returns to Grounds

Small Maverick giving a high five to a college student

A Top Gun tyke requested a flyby on the Lawn and left with a handful of candy. Talk to me Goose. (Photo by Erin Edgerton, University Communications)

Monday – Halloween night – marked the first Trick or Treating on the Lawn event since the pandemic forced consecutive cancellations.

Despite a dogged drizzle that muddied the Lawn, hundreds of costumed cuties roamed door to door in a welcome return to a much beloved tradition.

UVA students, some in elaborate costumes and others shrouded by the wisps of fog machines belching from Lawn rooms, doled out a bounty of chocolate bars and chewy caramels. The event dates to the 1980s when it was a small affair promoted solely to the University community.

Child trick or treating with college students dressed as Winney the Pooh

A fictional bear from the Hundred Acre Wood, who bore a passing resemblance to University President Jim Ryan, fueled up a young astronaut. (Photo by Erin Edgerton, University Communications)

Then, students living on the Lawn, or “Lawnies” in UVA vernacular, passed out candy to little ghouls and goblins whose parents generally worked at UVA.

But just a few years after its humble start, the event began drawing kids from Charlottesville and beyond. Demand for candy outstripped what most college students could afford. Now, a variety of school groups purchase treats for the Lawnies to distribute in what has become one of the most anticipated events in Charlottesville.

For most, the high-calorie haul was worth a little rain and some muddy shoes. Especially if they stumbled upon a Winnie the Pooh with a passing resemblance to UVA President Jim Ryan, who handed out treats.

Students sitting and standing at a Lawn room dressed in various costumes

Lawn residents and their classmates, including two portraying a Supreme Court justice and a banana, brought just as much enthusiasm to the event as the little ghosts and goblins. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)

two huge lego men with ninja turtles waving at the camera

The evening's costumes included simple, store-bought outfits and also complex custom creations, like this Lego family. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)

College students dressed in boxes smile for a picture

Perhaps the only folks more excited than kids for the return of Trick or Treating on the Lawn were University students who have waited two years to create costumes for the event. (Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

Little Scooby doo taking candy from a college student for their pumpkin bucket

In some cases, Scooby Snacks were full-size candy bars, which are the gold standard for any Halloween handout. (Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)