LA MIRADA, CALIF. — Biola University will host “Candyland” for the 15th consecutive year on Oct. 31, 2016 at 5 p.m. The event, hosted by students, will serve the local La Mirada community by offering an alternative to trick-or-treating on the streets of town to the hallways of Biola’s residence hall for about 1,200 children.

The free event will take place 5 to 8 p.m. and is open to the general public. Families in La Mirada are invited to attend. The event, designed by Biola students, caters to children ages three through eight years old. Children in 6th grade or under can enjoy free candy handed out by the residents of the hall, a bounce house, movies and more.

The residence hall will be decorated to mimic the board game Candyland with each floor being dedicated to a character from the Hasbro board game. Children can look forward to seeing characters such as Princess Lollie and Gloppy as they visit each floor.

In addition to visiting the six floors in the building, families are encouraged to enjoy the rest of the event including a bounce house in the lobby and a family-friendly movie which will be screened in the evening.

The tradition of transforming Alpha residence hall into Candyland for an outreach event was founded 14 years ago when a Resident Director in Alpha Hall challenged her staff to think beyond themselves and plan an event that would serve those outside of the Biola community. The staff came up with the idea of hosting a safe and trustworthy event for families to attend on Halloween night for their trick-or-treating by going door-to-door in the residence hall.

Each year the residents of Alpha bond as they work together to create a memorable event for the surrounding community, according to Sarah Brown, one of Alpha’s resident directors. The students work hard to make this event a success despite busy schedules and pressures of college life.

The staff planning the event is still accepting candy donations from any interested contributors. If you are interested in donating, please contact sarah.l.brown@biola.edu.

Written by Erin Wilson, public relations intern. For more information, contact Jenna Loumagne, media relations specialist, at (562) 777-4061 or jenna.loumagne@biola.edu.