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Freakfest success prompts Mifflin talk

After a third successful Halloween weekend, city officials are optimistic about the future of Freakfest and the annual Mifflin Street Block Party.

“I think that just three years ago it was unclear what the future of Halloween was,” Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. “And now, after three good years, I hear positive comments about Halloween everywhere I go. … In a sense, Halloween has been saved.”

Both Cieslewicz and Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said student involvement in planning Halloween and the Mifflin Street Block Party are integral in maintaining tradition and keeping people safe.

Over the summer, Scott Leslie, the co-owner of the Majestic Theater, approached the Associated Students of Madison with the possibility of sponsoring Mifflin by bringing in entertainment and obtaining a street permit.

Leslie said they have always been “staunchly opposed” to charging people to get onto Mifflin but were hoping to work something out with ASM that would pay for the event through student segregated fees.

“We have abandoned the idea for now,” Leslie said, adding he did not want to move forward with anything without overwhelming student support.

Arrests on Mifflin have been increasing, and Wray said the goal of the police is to lower arrests.

“I don’t think we’ll be gating and ticketing Mifflin,” Cieslewicz said. Mifflin is a more mellow event than what Halloween was before it was Freakfest, he added.

Wray said problems on Mifflin have improved in the sense that guests and residents bring the event to a close calmly but added over-consumption of alcohol is still a problem.

“We want to see people coming there for things that are not … violation of the law,” Wray said.

While planning for Mifflin is still a few months away, Wray and Cieslewicz said they were impressed with Halloween’s success, but each year they look at ways to improve the next year’s event.

“O.A.R. was such a popular draw that it got a little crowded near the stage,” Cieslewicz said, adding he hopes organizers “continue to have bands that are as popular or more popular as O.A.R.”

Cieslewicz said officials would look at ways to expand or rearrange the area near the main stage to ensure all partygoers are able to enjoy the performance.

The number of police officers may also change in future years, Wray said.

“We will also be assessing where we are as it relates to staffing this event,” Wray said. This could include reducing or reallocating staff and resources, he added.

Leslie said he was impressed with Freakfest this year because more than 38,000 people attended and there were less than 100 arrests. He added many of the students attending the party have only known Halloween as Freakfest.

“In two years, there won’t be any students here that had experienced a Halloween on State Street that wasn’t a Freakfest,” Leslie said.