Police Department to Host Trunk or Treat Oct. 29 at Centennial Square

The Pasadena Police Department will hold its annual Trunk or Treat, “Boo Bash with the Badge,” from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at Centennial Square, 100 N. Garfield Ave., in partnership with the Pasadena Police Foundation and Day One.

Children can trick-or-treat among creatively decorated police vehicles and community trunks, with games, music, activities and treats, according to the city, which says the family-friendly event was created to give children and young adults “a safe, healthy, and happy place to celebrate Halloween.” Centennial Square sits in front of City Hall.

The event lands two days before Halloween, which falls on a Saturday this year. A 2018 study in JAMA Pediatrics, which examined 42 years of federal crash data, found the risk of pedestrian death was 43% higher on Halloween than on comparison nights, and 10 times higher for children ages 4 to 8. The study found the most dangerous period was from 5 to 8 p.m., and that the average Halloween brought four additional pedestrian deaths, nearly all of them children or young adults.

Lead researcher John Staples of the University of British Columbia said researchers had wondered whether “the combination of dark costumes, excitement and alcohol made the streets more dangerous,” and that their findings suggest it does. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 176 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher on Halloween nights from 2019 to 2024, including 31 pedestrians.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says “child pedestrian injuries are more likely on Halloween than on any other night” and suggests families check with their town or park district for Halloween activities offered earlier in the day. It also recommends bright, reflective costumes, flashlights after dark, crossing streets in groups at crosswalks and inspecting all treats.

The Pasadena Police Foundation, founded in 1992, says it funds programs that further the department’s goals to supplement the city’s general fund, including youth programs such as the Explorer Program and Kids Safety Academy. It reported $155,529 in revenue and $72,780 in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 2025, according to its federal tax filing. Day One, a Pasadena nonprofit on North Euclid Avenue, works on public health, youth programs and alcohol and drug prevention.

The city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department follows with a Dia de los Muertos celebration Friday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Villa Parke Community Center, 363 E. Villa St.; details are at https://www.cityofpasadena.net/event/dia-de-los-muertos/.

Centennial Square, 100 N. Garfield Ave., Pasadena. For more, email Community Services Officer Hilda Jurado at hjurado@cityofpasadena.net.