[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]As two students from the West Coast got on a plane bound for Madison Friday afternoon to join in the Freakfest celebration, they had no idea who they would be sitting next to on the flight.

University of Wisconsin Dean of Students Lori Berquam, who was traveling back to Madison after a business trip in Seattle, said she started talking about the celebration with the two students, who said they were coming to Madison to visit friends and experience Halloween.

"I’m glad they’re here, I hope they had a good time, but what I ask them to do is be respectable guests," Berquam said.

After walking down State Street and talking with students Saturday night and early Sunday morning, Berquam said she was "really happy with the way it went."

"When [Freakfest] ended at 1:30, it seemed like everyone was leaving pretty peacefully," Berquam said. "Our students are the ones who have now said to guests, ‘Hey, it’s great that you come here — I want you to come here — but get your act together.’"

With the appeal of live music, unique costumes and an ample alcohol supply, the weekend-long party attracted individuals from not only across the state, but across the country.

Alex Geisler, a junior at Syracuse University, said in addition to visiting her best friend from high school, she wanted to experience a Madison Halloween — an event she had heard a lot about.

"I heard that Wisconsin is notorious for having a crazy Halloween, and I wanted to check it out firsthand," Geisler said. "I heard that it’s kind of dangerous and that especially if you’re a girl, you should stay with your friends at all times and there’s a lot of cops tear-gassing and pepper-spraying people on the street."

Geisler said despite the possibility of police intervention, the police presence added to the whole experience of Freakfest.

"It was a little nerve-racking, but I’m so glad I came because we had so much fun, and it wasn’t as scary or intense as I thought it was going to be," Geisler said.

Marya Stansky, a junior at Princeton University, said she heard there is a huge student turnout for Madison’s Halloween that includes a variety of "some really creative costumes."

"I think it’s wonderful and I’m really excited to be here," Stansky said. "I think it’s cool that people come from all over the country to party at a school in the middle of Wisconsin."

Christopher Hutton, along with three friends, drove from the University of Minnesota-Duluth to participate in the weekend festivities.

"I thought it was awesome seeing so many people in one place at one time and everyone dressing up and going crazy," Hutton said.

Hutton said the five-hour drive was worth the experience of a Madison Halloween, and he looks forward to visiting UW for next year’s Freakfest.

UW students, it appears, were relatively well-behaved. As of midnight Saturday, Madison Police Department public information officer Joel DeSpain said more than half of the arrests were of non-UW students.

Looking back at the weekend’s event, Berquam said she was "really proud" of UW students.

"I’m really happy with how our students conducted themselves," Berquam said. "They took back Halloween."