Fairfield University Issues Statement On SantaCon 2023

FAIRFIELD, CT — This past weekend's SantaCon event in Fairfield continued the tradition of rowdy, drunken behavior among the hundreds of Fairfield University and other college students in attendance.

The large, annual party is held in the Fairfield Beach area, and has long been a frustration for many residents. While the event is not a hosted by the school, Fairfield University said in a statement Tuesday that it continues to work with town officials in an effort to keep it safe.

"Fairfield University students living on Lantern Point independently hosted their own Santacon party on Dec. 9, and many students from other universities came to the Fairfield beach," wrote Jennifer Anderson, Fairfield University's Vice President of Marketing & Communications, in an email to Patch. "In anticipation, the University worked with the Lantern Point Association, and Fairfield Police and Fire to hire appropriate staffing to help minimize community impact in the area."

Fairfield police stationed a dozen officers in the area during the festivities, and the Lantern Point Association also reportedly hired additional security for the event.

Even with the added show of force, some revelers got a bit out of hand on Saturday, which led to police issuing the following:

• 6 infractions for open container.
• 5 infractions for Creating a Public Disturbance.
• 2 Misdemeanor Summons for Disorderly Conduct.
• 1 full Custody arrests for trespassing.
• 17 transports to the hospital.

Additionally, garbage was strewn throughout the beach area, and the university said that it quickly sought to address the mess.

"While the party itself was managed, trash and litter were left behind," Anderson said. "University staff immediately hired a professional cleaning service who began at 7 a.m. Fairfield students organized a cleanup for 11 a.m. Sunday morning as part of their ongoing beach cleaning efforts, and extended it well into the afternoon to address streets and parking lots."

Fairfield First Selectman Bill Gerber said in a Facebook post that the town's police and fire leadership are preparing a report on the event, and discussions with the university will continue on how to deal with the party in the future.

Anderson agrees.

"As a matter of standard practice, the University will conduct a debrief meeting with the town, fire and police officials to discuss how to better manage circumstances in the future."