After years of backlash from town officials and residents, Fairfield University has officially announced it will host the controversial SantaCon beach party for the first time as a university-sponsored, ticketed event. The party is set to kick off on Dec. 6 at 11 a.m.
In a communication sent to students, the Office of Student Engagement said the event will only be open to Fairfield University students and up to two registered guests. Tickets include admission and transportation to and from Jennings Beach, and amenities like food, drinks and music.
Tickets have already been sold to seniors and juniors and the sale of tickets to sophomore students is underway. If tickets remain available, first-years will be able to purchase tickets on Friday.
The reaction to the announcement has been divided, with students arguing that the unsanctioned aspect of the event is what makes it attractive to college students from local and regional universities.
However, university officials say the event will maintain the essence of the experience students are looking for and reflect the feedback they received over the summer about the event.
“We met with a lot of students over the summer and got a lot of feedback from students on what they would be looking for in this type of event,” said Jennifer Anderson, Vice President of Marketing and Communication at Fairfield University. She described that the students they talked to highlighted the getting ready piece of SantaCon, the music and having a DJ and having the event at the beach.
The event will have a capacity of 6,000 students and guests, which university officials described as “adequate” in a recent interview with The Mirror. It is not immediately clear how many tickets have been sold as of Tuesday afternoon.
Marketing for the party, characterized by the Santa costumes and heavy drinking, has received some backlash from social media users. On Friday, the university uploaded a 16-second clip to TikTok announcing the event, with some users pointing to a decline in the school’s social scene. The video has over 120,000 views.
“We want to ensure that we are communicating that this event is for Fairfield University students and their guests and make sure that is getting out and communicated,” Anderson said of the video, which has only been posted on TikTok, even as the school has accounts on other social media platforms.
The takeover of the now-popular student tradition marks a new era in the university’s approach to deterring students from attending the event and dealing with the political backlash that usually ensues from elected officials and residents.
In January 2024, the town hosted a discussion forum with town officials and Anderson to discuss the issues of littering, exhaustion of town safety resources, underage drinking and the overall safety of residents and event visitors. The event got contentious, with some speakers blaming the university leadership for the event’s impact on the town.
“One day, we are going to wake up the next day and find out there is a person floating in the Long Island Sound — not just trash,” a concerned resident said at the forum discussing the 2023 SantaCon.
After last December’s SantaCon, in response to the repeated concerns with trash and attendee behavior, the Town asked residents to share their “personal experiences” with how the event affected them.
“Your responses will assist us in better understanding the risks of this and other events and help the Town protect public safety and private property in the future,” then-First Selectman Bill Gerber said in a statement to residents.
For both editions of the event, the Office of the Dean of Students has warned students against attending the SantaCon party off campus.
Last year, Fairfield University student media uncovered emails showing how the university prepared and reacted to the 2023 SantaCon by tracking and sharing information about what students were saying about the event with the police department. The investigation also found that the school’s marketing department used Fizz to post “messaging for Fizz to deter non-Fairfield University students” from attending the event.
Julian Nazario 