With Halloween less than two weeks away, the Halloween Action Committee and the mayor's office made final decisions on both the performing bands and street vendors for the evening of Saturday, Oct. 28.
George Twigg, spokesperson for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said though officials decided the first group of performers, the final few selections will be announced later this week.
The initial acts scheduled to perform include I Voted For Kodos, The CREST, Plunket, the Mighty Short Bus, DJ Jeremy Thomas, Paper Tiger and Depth Beyond Depth.
According to Chris Samsa, lead singer of Plunket, all the bands announced thus far are performing on State Street for free. Bands are welcome to find a sponsor on their own, he added, but most of the motivation for performing on Halloween is to increase their listening audience.
"We're hoping this will give us that extra push of exposure," Samsa said. "It seems like a good opportunity, and we're exited about it. We're looking forward to a good weekend and a good time."
Samsa said exposure to such a large number of people on a college campus is crucial to a band's success. Samsa said Plunket went on tour in Madison recently, and the band enjoys the atmosphere and music scene on the University of Wisconsin campus.
But not all performers are quite so optimistic about what the evening will have to offer.
Ty Christian, Madison resident and a member of the band Paper Tiger, said a combination of the $5 charge to enter State Street and the cold weather would most likely make for a low turnout. Though the band is trying to stay positive, Christian added, it fears celebrations will spill onto side streets and detract from the main attraction.
"We're not really expecting a whole lot. We're trying to keep our hopes up that people will come out," he said. "But it's definitely an honor and a privilege to play Halloween in Madison — just that experience alone is going to be fun and rewarding."
And for UW alumni and members of the Mighty Short Bus, the $5 cover charge will be a drastic, but "cool" change from previous years.
"I've seen the list, and I know it's going to be a great show," Frank Bush, the Mighty Short Bus lead singer, said. "It's cool they got some of Madison's good bands."
Bush added the city's decision to make Halloween into a concert atmosphere will allow for great exposure to Madison's music scene not only for UW students, but also for students around the country.
Twigg said developing publicity for the entertainment of the event has been a joint effort between the Halloween Action Committee and event promoter John Kunz. Several band members said they got information about the event through other bands, and Twigg added word of Halloween in Madison is spreading.
Because of Kunz, he said the planning of this year's event is moving along quickly and productively.
"We're trying something new, but [the mayor] is certainly glad we have a promoter to step forward," Twigg said. "Our understanding is there is more to come in terms of bands, and it is important to the mayor the promoter has worked to keep students involved."
Twigg added student involvement also played a large part in planning food vendors for the evening, which will be located on the 700 block of State Street, in Library Mall.
Vendors selling food for the event will include Papi's Dogs, Papa Bear, Curt's Gourmet Popcorn, Bluefin Sushi, Wei's Food to Go, Natural Juice, Amazin' Asian, Silky's, Silky's II, Buraka, Loose Juice, Taste of Jamaica, Fresh Cool Drinks, Ingrid's Lunchbox, Senor Peppers, JD's Express, Las Palmas and I'm Here.
Participants in the State Street Halloween celebration will be allowed to re-enter the area if they exit to get food, Twigg said. Partygoers who choose not to pay the $5 fee will still have access to the Library Mall area, Twigg added.
"People will be allowed to come in and out, and will be allowed to go off and on State Street," he said. "We tried to make [the celebration] as flexible as possible."
