Fairfield beach community braces for SantaCon; town warns those without tickets not to come
Fairfield University is hosting this year's private event at Jennings Beach.
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The Town of Fairfield is warning college students without tickets to this Saturday's SantaCon to stay away.
Fairfield University is hosting this year's private event at Jennings Beach.
Neighbors in the beach community say last year's event became dangerous when thousands of college students overcrowded the beach, overloaded house balconies and littered.
"The area is so crowded, our ambulances can't service them," said Scott Hirsh, president of the Fairfield Beach Residents Association. "Twenty-thousand students versus 3,000 residents in this area. You can imagine how that taxes our authorities."
The annual event has been wrapped up in controversy.
Just last year, two Sacred Heart University students were charged with setting a Fairfield shopping plaza on fire after attending Fairfield SantaCon festivities earlier in the day.
Last month, a Fairfield University student was arrested for promoting a fake SantaCon event at private beach houses he had no connection to.
Fairfield police says it will have a heavy presence in the beach and downtown areas.
"If you are not invited to the private event, do not come to Fairfield expecting a public SantaCon celebration," Chief Michael Paris says. "There isn’t one."
American Medical Response says it will be beefing up its staff throughout the event and into the overnight hours.
"What we've seen in the past is people drink to excess," says regional director Bill Schietinger. "We're going to be prepared in case anything does happen."
The beach community says while the town is doing everything possible to keep residents safe, they're not entirely sold on if the changes will work.
"Pick another place to party," Hirsh says. "Enjoy the holiday season safely, just don't do it on this beach if you don't have a ticket."
