Oxnard Police Seek Sponsors for 11th Annual Halloween Trunk or Treat Spooktacular

The Oxnard Police Department is calling on local businesses, sports teams and neighborhood groups to help fill the parking lot with decorated trunks for its 11th Annual Halloween Trunk or Treat Spooktacular, set for October 22, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the police station on South C Street. The free event, expected to draw thousands of families, has become one of the department's signature community gatherings, and organizers are now recruiting both participants and paid sponsors to help pull it off.

According to a Oxnard Police Department announcement, the event will be held at the Oxnard Police Station, 251 South C Street, and will feature costumes, candy, decorated vehicles and creative booths. The department is inviting local businesses, organizations, neighborhood groups, sports teams and public safety partners to take part, and groups can choose to set up a decorated trunk, a fully decorated vehicle, a booth or tent, or some combination of those options. There is no participation fee, though groups are responsible for their own setup, decorations, candy and supplies, and any promotional materials they hand out must be pre-approved.

Organizations can also step up as official paid event sponsors, a role that comes with extra visibility. Sponsors receive logo placement on promotional materials and acknowledgement through social media, on top of the recognition that comes from simply being part of a beloved neighborhood tradition. Interested groups can request sponsorship details or fill out the participant application directly at www.oxnardpolice.com.

A Decade of Building Trust at the Station

This year marks the 11th time the department has opened its doors for the Halloween gathering, following the 10th Annual Spooktacular held last October 23 from 5 to 7 p.m., which also designated free public parking at the Downtown Parking Structure at 3rd and B Street. Funding and logistics for the event typically rely on the nonprofit Oxnard Police Community Foundation, which has served as a key financial sponsor and co-organizer alongside corporate and community partners such as Bayer Inc., Lazer Media and Ventura County Credit Union, according to The Tri-County Sentry.

The Spooktacular sits alongside other seasonal outreach efforts the department runs throughout the year, including the annual Santa at the Station event in December and autumn blood drives, the Tri-County Sentry reports. Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites, a department veteran since 1993 who has led the roughly 356-employee force since December 2020, has prioritized neighborhood policing strategies that this kind of family-facing event is designed to support, according to Vida Newspaper.

Why Safe, Off-Street Trick-or-Treating Matters

The push for controlled, off-street Halloween alternatives is grounded in sobering traffic safety research. A study analyzing 42 years of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that child pedestrian fatality risks jump by 43% on Halloween night, with the most dangerous window falling between 6 and 7 p.m., according to the American Red Cross. Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that child pedestrian deaths among youth aged 5 to 14 quadruple on Halloween evening between 4 and 10 p.m. compared to any other night of the year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises drivers to exercise extreme caution between 5 and 9 p.m. on Halloween, keeping headlights on early and staying alert for children who may dart into the street unexpectedly. Oxnard's chosen 5-to-7 p.m. window for the Spooktacular falls squarely within that heightened-risk period, offering families a fenced-in, well-lit alternative to walking neighborhood sidewalks after dark.

Part of a Growing Regional Trend

Trunk-or-treat gatherings have multiplied across Oxnard in recent years, with the Oxnard Performing Arts Center partnering with the Viejitos Car Club and Harbor View Park hosting its own trunk-or-treat festivities during the city's annual Parade of Frights, per Visit Oxnard. Other Ventura County law enforcement agencies have followed a similar playbook, including the Camarillo Police Department, which co-hosts its own annual trunk-or-treat with the Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Oxnard is Ventura County's largest municipality, with an estimated 2026 population of roughly 199,000 to 200,000 residents, about 75% to 77% of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino, per Census Dots. That scale helps explain why organizers expect thousands of families to turn out again this year for a free event that has grown into one of downtown Oxnard's most anticipated autumn traditions.