Carlotta Halloween block party canceled

The annual Halloween block party on Carlotta Street near the North Gates of LSU has been canceled this year because event organizers chose not to apply for permits to host the party, a Baton Rouge police spokesman said Monday.

This is the first time in 10 years that organizers chose not to apply for the permits, Cpl. Tommy Stubbs said in a news release.

Residents in the area also said they don’t want the party to happen, Stubbs said.

The party is usually held the Friday or Saturday before Halloween. Revelers don costumes of all varieties and celebrate for hours on Carlotta, which runs off State Street near Highland Road.

Anyone who tries to host a party on Carlotta Street on Oct. 26 or 27 could face criminal charges, Stubbs said.

Officers both in uniform and not in uniform will patrol the area for any illegal partygoers, Stubbs said.

Police began heavily patrolling the scene at the Carlotta party in 2007. That year, police have said, officers limited partygoers to private property and prevented parking in the middle of the street because party organizers had not obtained a road-closure permit from the city-parish.

In 2008, with help from the North Gate Merchants Association, organizers obtained that permit. The North Gate Merchants Association could not be reached for comment Monday.