Sharp disagreement is emerging among Madison business owners over the date of Halloween festivities.

Because Oct. 31 is a Thursday this year, ambiguity abounds from students to city officials to bar owners as to whether the revelry will ensue the weekend before, Oct. 25-27, or the weekend after, Oct. 31 through Nov. 2.

Lindsay Martin, salesperson at Pipefitter, which sells Halloween costumes and accessories, believes it is clear which weekend Halloween festivities will fall on.

“It would make more sense to be afterwards,” Martin said. “It’s on a Thursday, and the weekend starts on Thursday, and it’s closer to that second Saturday.”

Kessa Risberg, Martin’s colleague at Pipefitter, also believes the festivities should take place on the weekend following Halloween.

“It should be that next Friday or Saturday,” Risberg said.

However, both Martin and Risberg said Pipefitter is preparing to address the potential scenario of a two-front Halloween.

Terry Putnam, manager of Party City at Prairie Town Center, disagrees with Martin’s prediction and claims all the evidence she has seen suggests the weekend before Halloween will see the majority of the revelry.

“The feedback I’ve been getting from customers, including students, [is that] most are planning on having their house parties the weekend before,” Putnam said.

Putnam also pointed to Madison’s Halloween history, which has typically exhibited Halloween partying the weekend before Oct. 31.

“It’s never the weekend after the holiday,” Putnam said.

Dan Chin, a bartender at the State Bar & Grill, disagreed with Martin.

“It will definitely not be the week before Halloween,” Chin said.

Ross Johnson, general manager of State Street Brats, while anticipating larger-than-average crowds the weekend of Oct. 25, is confident the weekend of Oct. 31 will be the height of Halloween celebration.

“Our take is that [the 31st] will be the biggest night of all, and the weekend after that will follow suit,” Johnson said.

“The weekend before will surely be big, too, but the second weekend will be much bigger,” he added.

With city officials estimating the numbers of partygoers on State Street to exceed 60,000, State Street Brats has taken measures aimed both to cater to the swelled crowds and prevent the partying at State Street Brats from spiraling out of control. “We hired a ton of bouncers who will work tightly with the police,” said Johnson. “And of course we’ll have a lot more food and drink.”