In light of recent uncertainty surrounding the event, city officials emphasized the Mifflin Street Block Party is not “cancelled,” as was delineated in a letter from police officials to residents, but will be treated similarly to last year’s block party.

A letter sent out to residents last week said “there will be no Mifflin Street Block Party on or around Saturday, May 4th in 2013” and the event would not be sanctioned by the city.

Mark Woulf, the city of Madison’s food and alcohol policy coordinator, said the city did not issue any street use permits or vending permits and did not approve the closure of any streets in the area. He said many people have misinterpreted the way police are handling the event.

“We just have had some general frustration with the way the city’s role this year has been portrayed,” Woulf said. “It has been covered as we are canceling or calling it off, when in reality, we are doing nothing differently than last year.”

He said during last year’s Mifflin Street Block Party, the city made major changes to how they handled the event. He added this year, the city was not approached by anyone about taking out permits for the event.

He said during the 2012 event, the city began working with landlords who posted “no trespassing” signs in the backyards of their properties. This meant no one other than the houses’ residents and people they knew were allowed in the backyards. He said this impacted the number of people in the area.

Woulf also said the Madison Police Department will continue its “no tolerance approach” and expects to see similar levels of arrests to last year’s Mifflin.

He said MPD took a stricter approach in 2012 as a result of the violence that occurred at the 2011 event. He said he expects people will still gather and drink on Mifflin Street and throughout the city on May 4.

“I don’t think we’re under any sort of delusion that people will simply not drink on the day that is traditionally Mifflin,” Woulf said. 

He said the city prefers less people from outside of the city come to Madison. This is because these groups tend to cause the most problems because they do not stay in the city and have generally fewer ramifications, Woulf said.

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said when it comes to deciding whether or not to attend the Mifflin Street Block Party, he encourages students to make their own decisions.

“There are many events on the May 4 weekend right before finals,” Resnick said. “They can make up mind on where to go and how to celebrate the weekend.”

He said students would likely still congregate in the area, and MPD would respond in the same way as last year. He said he does not anticipate a high turnout at the Mifflin Street Block Party.

Resnick said the weather would likely dictate how many people attend the event and its nature. When it rains on the day of the block party, Mifflin Street is much tamer than when it is sunny, which is when there are the most issues, he said.

Woulf said the city is aware the partying on May 4 is likely to be spread throughout the city, particularly on Mifflin Street, Langdon Street and at the Revelry Music and Arts Festival.

He said smaller parties more spread-out throughout the city are more easily controlled, Woulf said. It is easier to control many small parties than to control one place with thousands and thousands of people, he said.

“We’re very supportive of Revelry,” he said. “That’s a good start to try to rebrand the spring celebration so it is not solely focused on drinking.”