Colorful costumes, the smell of fresh popcorn and a plastic skeleton in a modified hearse filled the quad at the TTC Campus for its annual Halloween carnival on Friday.
A skeleton sporting goggles and a Long Beach City College shirt sits inside a modified hearse in the quad of the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. The display enhanced the spooky atmosphere of the event, which included trick or treating and Halloween music. (Ryenne Jolliff)
Spooky season hits like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party” and Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” could be heard on full blast as kids played games and went trick or treating at different booths set up for the event.
“I love Halloween. I love dressing up, going out with my friends, and eating junk food and candy,” LBCC student Jessica Cervantes, who attended the event after her class ended, said.
The booths were run by some of Long Beach City College’s clubs and organizations looking to promote their services.
“I think this event is special because children can feel connected to their parents’ education, and parents can give their kids a safe Halloween event on campus. We want them to have fun,especially during midterms,” said Joanna Hernandez, assistant director for EOPS and CalWORKS.
The CalWORKS booth was set up with supplies for kids to make their own cat-themed crafts.
Another booth at the carnival, run by EOPS, handed out bags for children to collect their trick-or-treat candy.
“A lot of our students are parents, and we want to build a sense of belonging and community,” said EOPS staff member Jacky Garcia about the event. “It’s generational, not just for the students but for the kids as well.”
Members of the English as a Second Language (ESL) club used their setup as a way to celebrate their Mexican heritage.
The booth was decked out in vibrant Dia de los Muertos decorations including marigolds, sugar skulls, and papel picado, which are traditional paper decorations.
Club members also handed out Mexican candy and glasses of jamaica, a drink made from hibiscus flowers.
“We wanted to represent our culture today,” said LBCC student and ESL club member Elizabeth Ruiz.
Ruiz and her young daughter Jasmine were both dressed up as La Catrina, an iconic character traditionally associated with Día de los Muertos.
“I know that everybody has special customs. Halloween is an American tradition, and Dia de los Muertos is ours, so we wanted to blend it into one,” Ruiz said.
The International Students club also sought to blend different cultures and traditions at the event.
“A lot of people see our logo and ask us about the club. It’s all about exchanging culture. I feel like I’m representing my country when I talk to people here,” said LBCC student and club member James Trinh.
Originally from Vietnam, this is Trinh’s second year celebrating Halloween in America.
“Being international students, most of us have never celebrated Halloween before,” Trinh said.
According to Trinh, the most fascinating aspect of Halloween is seeing everyone’s elaborate costumes.
“It’s marvelous. It’s amazing to see people go out of their way to put so much time and detail into their costumes,” said Trinh.
Once the sun went down, the kids in attendance were able to participate in a costume contest.
Kids line up and prepare for judging at a costume contest held in the quad at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. The contest was won by Grayson Barrett, who was dressed as Huggy Wuggy, a character from the video game “Poppy Playtime”. (Ryenne Jolliff)
Three total awards were given out at the end of the night: Clarity Lee’s Chucky costume won her the funniest costume award; sisters, Scarlett and Valentina Rodriguez, won the scariest costume award for their clown costumes; and Grayson Barrett, dressed as Huggy Wuggy from the video game “Poppy Playtime,” won best overall costume.
Clarity Lee shows off her award after winning funniest costume at a costume contest held at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. Lee was dressed as Chucky from the “Child’s Play” franchise. (Ryenne Jolliff)
Sisters Scarlett Rodriguez, left, and Valentina Rodriguez win the award for scariest costume at a costume contest held at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in Long Beach, California on Oct. 24, 2025. The sister duo won 1 of the 3 awards given out for the contest. (Ryenne Jolliff)
The evening’s festivities concluded with a screening of “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie,” which families watched from blankets and lawn chairs spread out across the quad.
“My favorite part of Halloween is that everyone gets a day to express themselves and experience a feeling of being someone else,” Cervantes said.
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