San Diego Halloween 2020 Was Still A Party With People In Costumes

PubClubbers Go Out In Big Numbers In The Gaslamp Quarter

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com San Diego Blogger

Published Nov. 1, 2020

The students at San Diego State were warned with possible fines if they held large Halloween parties, but down in the Gaslamp Quarter, no such restrictions applied as people showed up on Saturday, Oct. 31, to celebrate and party.

“Pubclubbers” were out in fairly large numbers, jamming the sidewalks up and down the popular and bar/restaurant-lined Fifth Ave. They were dressed in various costumes from monsters to sexy-clad ladies. There were lines to get into many places, among them American Junkie, El Chingon, Tipsy Crow and the just-opened (as of Friday night), Toro.

The most popular costume was a pair of people in puffy Cartman outfits from the TV show “South Park.” They danced on the sidewalk, which had people pulling out cellphones to take photos and videos.

A rumored protest never materialized, much to the relief of restaurant owners and employees. The previous day, they were told by the San Diego Police Department that they would be limited to one row of outside tables only and that the street would not be closed to traffic in order to discourage potential protesters.

As it turned out, it would have better to have had the street blocked off as is usually the case on Thursdays thru Saturdays for outdoor dining, which has been the case the past several months in response to the COVID-19 protocols.

Having people cram onto the sidewalks made social distancing next to impossible to achieve. Often, you had to stand and wait for foot traffic to clear or shuffle your feet to get past a busy spot.

The atmosphere was one of fun and celebration with people out to party while forgetting about troubles – and the upcoming election – for a while.

The pedicabs were busy rolling around the streets, their music filled the night air with the sounds of nightlife and the noise of people’s conversations echoed through the Gaslamp until past midnight.

It would have been easy for someone just arriving in town to look around and say “what COVID?”

The majority of people, about 75% by PubClub.com’s observations, of those walking the sidewalks were wearing masks. The were certainly in the spirit of Halloween, aided by lots of spirits from the restaurants and bars.