The Goleta Valley’s population is set to double — even come close to triple — for the Halloween weekend, with up to 50,000 out-of-town revelers expected to converge in Isla Vista and spill into Goleta from Friday, Oct. 29 to Sunday, Oct. 31.

That was the information local law enforcement officials gave attendees at a Halloween safety meeting Wednesday night at Goleta City Hall. Security will be beefed up, parking will be closed down and revelers will be monitored for intoxication as the student enclave hosts yet another of its wildly popular Halloween celebrations.

“Our biggest fear, other than civil unrest in Isla Vista, is a pedestrian getting hit by a vehicle in Goleta,” said Sgt. Kevin Huddle, Traffic Bureau supervisor for the City of Goleta.

Officers will be monitoring the two main arteries into Isla Vista — Los Carneros and Storke roads — to keep traffic moving throughout the weekend. There’s no word yet on DUI checkpoints, but Huddle said law enforcement will be saturating local streets to look for intoxicated drivers and partygoers in general who can’t handle themselves in public. Isla Vista Foot Patrol personnel also will be out in force, as well as fire, local emergency medical personnel and the California Highway Patrol.

Both traffic and parking will be an issue, both for those visiting and for those living here. Parking lots will be closed during the evening hours, and signs will be placed prohibiting parking on public streets and private driveways, though admittedly, enforcement may not be so easy. Double fines, once a practice during the county days of Goleta, can’t be enforced for vehicle code violations.

Meanwhile, Mark Ingalls, general manager for the Camino Real Marketplace, has said that while its parking lots will be roped off, there will be about 100 spaces made available at Girsh Park for parking, although according to him, it is more of an effort to keep parking available for locals and shoppers than it is to provide amenities for incoming party people.

The best way to get in and out? Community Services Director Vyto Adomaitis suggests parking elsewhere and either walking and taking public transportation in.

Some local residents expressed concern about intoxicated students who may sleep in their cars. Isla Vista has long been known for the blocks of raging parties thrown by college students during Halloween, leading to a significant increase in alcohol- and other substance-related arrests over the few days of the Halloween celebrations. The trend grew in the 1980s and spiked in 2008, with an estimated 50,000 revelers coming in from outside.

Huddle said it’s a fine line between the kind of public intoxication and DUI offense that can get one arrested, and keeping people off the streets — even if it means letting them sleep it off in their cars. The best thing to do, he said, is to call for help if there is any trouble. The majority of accidents, arrests and complaints about drunken partiers in Isla Vista on Halloween relate to those coming in from out of town.

One resident said, “Let’s hope the rain keeps a lot of them away.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Sonia Fernandez can be reached at sfernandez@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk or @NoozhawkNews.