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

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)

Halloween Tradition Returns to Grounds

Video:Halloween Tradition Returns to Grounds
Halloween Tradition Returns to Grounds

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.

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.





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April 4, 2025