University of Wisconsin students decisively proved the Mifflin Street Block Party is not dead this weekend.

Two years after the City of Madison stopped sponsoring the 46-year-old University of Wisconsin tradition, Mifflin saw an increased turnout.

Over the last two years, Madison Police Department has worked preemptively to try and discourage party-goers from attending Mifflin. They check alcohol pre-orders at local liquor stores, patrol houses on Mifflin Street and call on the city to enact a ban on glass bottles for the weekend.

Logan Walovitch, a UW junior who lives in a house on the 500 block of Mifflin Street, said this weekend was something he and his roommates looked forward to all year.

“We got to keep the tradition alive,” he said.

Walovitch was a freshman the same year the city starting tightening Mifflin regulation and he said during that time, it seemed like the police were acting like the block party was dead. Personally, he did not go for very long in 2013, but did go last year. Though the turnout was not as big as this year’s, he said it was still fun.

“But this year was definitely a different Mifflin than any I’d been to,” Walovitch said. “It was the best Mifflin for sure. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun it was a beautiful day and definitely the definition of the perfect Mifflin. It was one of my biggest memories as a UW student.”

He said the police took a more laid-back approach and “let some stuff go.”

“They were still accepting of the fact it’s a good tradition and they weren’t going to arrest just anybody,” Walovitch said.

Over the course of the day, approximately 40 citations were given out around Mifflin Street, according to an MPD incident report. These violations were primarily for open intoxicants and underage drinking, but also included citations for public urination and noise, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.

Verveer estimated the crowd turnout on Mifflin Street was in the thousands, with many people standing on porches and partying in backyards along the street, Verveer said.

“There’s no doubt that there were thousands of students partying on Mifflin Saturday,” Verveer said. “It was impressive given the fact that the prevailing thought was that Mifflin was on the decline.”

Mifflin Street Block Party began in 1969 as a protest against the Vietnam War, and continued until 2013 when the City of Madison released a statement that formally cancelled the party, Verveer said.

To develop an alternative to the Mifflin Street Block Party, UW began putting on Revelry Music and Arts Festival in 2013. It began as an end of the year concert, but developed into a completely student-organized music and arts festival, according to the Revelry website.

Mifflin will not be official city event in 2013

Revelry served as a means to diffuse the crowds that have frequently populated Mifflin in years past, Ald. Zach Wood, District 8, said.

“[Revelry] has made it less Mifflin-centric,” Wood said. “If you have people who are going to hang out toward where the concerts are as opposed to everyone being more toward Mifflin, it diffuses the energy.”

This year, both Revelry and the Mifflin Street Block Party attracted crowds, including a large number of people who attended both events, Verveer said.

“I had a great time at both Mifflin and Revelry,” Verveer said. “Mostly because it was good to see students having such a good time at both of the events.”

Revelry sold approximately 6,500 tickets for patrons to attend headliners like the Chainsmokers, AlunaGeorge and Chance, the Rapper and the Social Experiment, according to an MPD incident report.

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This year was the first year the City of Madison was an official sponsor of Revelry, which recognized that Revelry can bring an alternative activity to a long-standing tradition, Verveer said.

“This year Revelry was the biggest and the best, there’s no doubt about that,” Verveer said. “The city’s financial contribution recognized that Revelry was a great event for the community, and one that I hope will have long-standing power.”

Spring awakening: Revelry grows in second year

Despite a large number of Revelry-goers, the festival reported no major incidents, according to the MPD incident report.

Though Mifflin experienced a resurgence this year, Revelry brought its own bonding experiences to UW students, Mirabelle Murray, UW freshman, said.

“I knew some people who went to Mifflin and had fun, but I had a great time at Revelry,” Murray said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but the energy was really there.”