Fairfield Must Do More To Contain SantaCon, Residents Tell Officials

FAIRFIELD, CT — For two hours Tuesday night, several Fairfield residents made it clear, they do not like the annual drunken college party known as SantaCon, and they either want it stopped, or heavily monitored and policed.

Speaker after speaker during Tuesday's Community Conversation on SantaCon told town officials — and representatives from Fairfield University and the Lantern Point Association — that the most recent edition of the December party was an environmental nightmare for the Fairfield Beach Area and Long Island Sound.

The discussion, which took place in the auditorium at Fairfield Warde High School, was organized by First Selectman Bill Gerber, who said he "received many, many emails from concerned citizens" about the event.

He went down to the Beach Area the day of the party, and was shocked by what he saw.

"I thought I could be looking at a possible human tragedy," Gerber said. "I know that college kids party, but that party was not contained. I saw young adults collapsed in the streets."

According to Fairfield police, 17 revelers were taken to area hospitals for treatment, mainly from overindulgence in alcohol.

Though the event is not sanctioned by Fairfield University, hundreds of its students, in addition to students from other colleges and universities, attend the event, which takes place among a thatch of rental homes on the water in the Lantern Point Association.

However, residents reiterated Gerber's sentiments that the event is not simply contained to a few properties. Drunken students invade the whole neighborhood, with estimates that well over 1,000 students attend the event each year.

According to Jennifer Anderson, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Fairfield University, the school spent $150,000 to stage "Winter Fest" on campus, an attempt at counterprogramming to keep students on campus instead of at SantaCon.

"It was not as successful as we would have liked," Anderson said of Winter Fest. "It's not what the students wanted."

In addition to the safety of students and residents, speakers Tuesday told officials that the environmental impact of the event is horrific.

Garbage is strewn throughout the Beach Area and surrounding neighborhoods, and high tides wash mounds of garbage out into Long Island Sound.

Fairfield U. spent $10,000 on cleanup efforts, Anderson said, and Lantern Point Association also spent money for cleanup, according to association President Chris Timniak.

Resident Ben Rosenbloom and others were not impressed.

"Let's face it, all the money spent was woefully inadequate," Rosenbloom said. "This event has become increasingly destructive and dangerous."

Fairfield police have increased patrols during SantaCon, but residents spoke of seeing officers' efforts being overwhelmed by the numbers of students.

"We don't want to wait until somebody dies to act," said resident Bill Littman, who saw passed out partygoers in the street.

"If I pulled a garbage truck up to Fairfield University and dumped garbage, and then peed on the lawn, I bet I'd be arrested," Littman said, urging that the town and police hold the students who throw the party accountable.

Gerber said that he doesn't want to see dozens of students zip-tied and arrested, because it would make national news, and be a bad look for Fairfield. But he agreed that more needs to be done, and discussions will continue on how to deal with the event.

"We don't want to host SantaCon," Timniak said about the properties in the association. "This event has become an organic, pop-up event beyond our control."

Timniak said he would like to see the event moved, perhaps to Penfield Beach and the parking lot, similar to what happened with Clam Jam.

Remediation efforts from the fill pile scandal make Penfield temporarily unavailable, but such a move could be considered in the future.