Parents’ and Family Weekend will provide an interesting juxtaposition to last week’s Halloween festivities, as a surplus of students’ relatives and friends are expected to attend the event.

UCSB kicks off its annual Parents’ and Family Weekend today at 9 a.m., and will host activities until Sunday at 2 p.m. The weekend will include events designed to educate family members about UCSB college life, and will provide walking tours of Isla Vista and the UCSB campus. An opportunity to attend Friday classes will also be available.

Julie Rasmussen, special events coordinator at the Office of Public Events, said the weekend is specifically geared toward newly admitted freshman and transfer students.

The $25 per person registration fee gets participants a tote bag, informational material and a T-shirt. Participation in the Parents’ and Family Weekend events will also include opportunities to meet Chancellor Yang and to attend a lecture by Dean of Undergraduate Studies Al Wyner called “Graduating in Four Years.”

If family members wish to see a class in action, they can attend the Geography of Surfing class taught by Professor Stuart Sweeney. If they hope to scope out campus architecture, they can do so on one of two tours at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. A full schedule of events can be found on the event’s website, www.ia.ucsb.edu/pfw.

Gretchen Falvo, director of public events at the Office of Institutional Advancement, said most college campuses have a weekend, typically about six weeks into the year, during which they host student families.

“They want to see their kids,” Falvo said. “[They want to] know what kind of things they are encountering.”

Parents are encouraged to make hotel accommodations for the weekend, and can eat a meal at the dining commons on campus for $10.

Falvo said Parents’ and Family Weekend is completely funded by student registration fees.

Cayenne Shpall, a first year psychology major, said she is looking forward to parents’ weekend.

“I just really miss my family,” Shpall said.