5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HALLOWEEN ON SIXTH ST.

From the weather to parking, tips can help make celebrations safer on Saturday and Tuesday.

Halloween on Sixth Street can conjure up a frightening scenario: vaguely identifiable revelers in varying degrees of inebriation crammed into seven city blocks.

So, before you head out to downtown Austin this weekend or Tuesday night, here are five things you need to know:

1. Wear a warm costume.

The National Weather Service expects clear skies Saturday night but temperatures could sink as low as 39 degrees in Austin before dawn Sunday. If you are going downtown Tuesday night, make sure your costume is waterproof; the forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain Halloween night with temperatures possibly in the lower 60s.

2. Keep weapons at home.

“No illegal weapons of any type will be allowed,” Austin police said Friday. “Anyone with illegal items will be arrested and the property will be seized.”

3. Don’t park on Sixth Street.

Police expect big crowds Tuesday night, so Sixth Street will be closed to vehicles from Brazos Street to Interstate 35’s southbound frontage road. Cross streets will be closed between Fifth and Seventh streets. Any cars parked on the closed part of Sixth Street and the cross streets after 6 p.m. will be towed.

4. Don’t drink and drive.

Police will be targeting drunken drivers from 9 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday under a no-refusal policy, which makes it easier for officers to obtain blood alcohol samples. Last year, 54 people were arrested under the policy Oct. 28-31.

5. Take the bus.

Capital Metro will offer extended holiday service Saturday and Tuesday nights.