Ed Fuentes

The FIDM sponsored and DCBID hosted Halloween Party for Downtown Kids had activities, including this photo op in a pumpkin patch.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — On Friday night, hundreds of Downtown children and their parents made their way to Grand Hope Park for the first "Halloween Party for Downtown L.A. Kids." The event, hosted by the Downtown Center BID and sponsored by FIDM, exceeded all expectations for attendance.

The night also gave visibility to a demographic that's increasingly a part of Downtown's fabric. Turns out, Downtown's got kids.

Newborns at the event were heard to be identified by their building. Perhaps it's a measurement of a maturing neighborhood when one hears, "Oh, he's a Met Lofts baby."

Along with snacks provided by Ralphs, the night featured activities and a costume contest for twenty children who were outfitted in custom designs by students from FIDM.

The night was the brainchild of DCBID VP Hal Bastian. Bastian approached Barbara Bundy, FIDM's VP of Education and a member of the DCBID board, and told her that they were going to put on a great event and that her students were going to design costumes for the kids. Just like that, the party was born.

Students were recruited to work with chosen families to design costumes for the contest. The designs went from sketch to execution in just over over a month, with students getting their assignments as they entered the break between Summer and Fall quarters in mid-September. For students used to designing for models, producing kiddy sizes offered a different set of challenges. The results impressed, with each student turning in a costume tailored to the family's requests.