For one evening this October, University of the Pacific's brick walkways and ivy-covered buildings will become a giant trick-or-treat route as hundreds of costumed children and their families explore one of Stockton's most recognizable campuses.
The Annual Pacific Trick or Treat returns Wednesday, October 28, from 5 to 7 p.m., inviting Stockton families onto the University of the Pacific campus for a free evening of Halloween fun. This year's event will be centered at the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center Lawn, with families making their way around campus to collect candy from Pacific students, faculty and staff.
What separates the event from many other Halloween celebrations is its connection to the university's students and the surrounding community. Visit Stockton describes Pacific Trick or Treat as the university's largest community service activity, designed to provide families with a safe environment to celebrate Halloween.
When the Campus Becomes the Neighborhood
For children accustomed to walking from house to house on Halloween, Pacific offers a very different backdrop.
Families get to explore the university's tree-lined grounds and historic architecture while children travel from building to building collecting treats from members of the Pacific community.
The university's Stockton campus at 3601 Pacific Avenue is known for its red-brick buildings, broad lawns and collegiate setting. On October 28, those familiar surroundings will be filled instead with superheroes, princesses, witches, ghosts and whatever characters capture children's imaginations this Halloween.
The event is geared toward children ages 3 to 11, who must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is free.
That combination makes Pacific Trick or Treat particularly accessible for families looking for a Halloween activity without the cost of admission associated with some larger seasonal attractions.
More Than Candy
There is also a larger community story behind all those candy buckets.
Universities can sometimes feel like communities unto themselves, even when they sit in the middle of a city. Pacific Trick or Treat reverses that relationship for an evening by opening the campus specifically to local families.
Students, faculty and staff become the hosts, while children from throughout the community become their guests.
For younger children, the experience can also serve as an informal introduction to a university campus years before conversations about college applications ever begin.
A child may arrive thinking about candy and costumes, but the evening gives families an opportunity to walk through a college environment together and see students interacting with their community.
For Pacific students, meanwhile, the event provides a simple form of community service that can create an immediate connection with the city surrounding their university.
That's part of what has allowed the event to become an annual Stockton Halloween tradition.
A Busy Halloween Season in Stockton
Pacific Trick or Treat arrives during an especially active stretch of Halloween activities around Stockton this year.
Families have several community celebrations to choose from throughout October, ranging from neighborhood trick-or-treating and career-focused activities to downtown events and larger seasonal attractions.
Pacific's celebration offers something different: an evening built around the experience of exploring a college campus.
And unlike Halloween night itself, the event takes place several days earlier, giving children another opportunity to put their costumes to work before October 31.
Pacific's official calendar currently lists the event as family friendly and schedules it for 5 to 7 p.m. on the DeRosa University Center Lawn.
A Stockton Tradition Built Around Community
There is something refreshingly straightforward about Pacific Trick or Treat.
There are costumes.
There is candy.
There are college students waiting to greet children.
And there is an entire campus available for families to explore together.
But behind the Halloween fun is a tradition that connects one of Stockton's oldest institutions with the families who live around it.
For two hours on October 28, Pacific won't simply be a university located in Stockton.
It will become one very large neighborhood.
Event Details
What: Annual Pacific Trick or Treat
When: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Time: 5 to 7 p.m.
Where: University of the Pacific, Don and Karen DeRosa University Center Lawn
Address: 3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton
Admission: Free
Ages: Designed for children ages 3 to 11; children should be accompanied by an adult
What to bring: Costumes and a bag or bucket for collecting treats.
Pacific Trick or Treat event information