With Halloween weekend quickly approaching, the city of Madison and University of Wisconsin students are preparing for the 2007 installment of what has become an annual battle over just how wild and riotous — or tame and commercialized — the party will be.
Last year’s celebration, which came after months of planning and saw the implementation of a highly scrutinized ticketing system, was successful in several ways — not the least of which being the absence of pepper spray at the end of the night. A calm closure to the evening was a welcome change from the 2005 celebration, which reportedly hosted the largest crowd in the event’s history and resulted in detox facilities at capacity and thousands of revelers leaving State Street with sore eyes.
While we applaud the city and its law enforcement officials for their efforts and patience last year, we regret that this Madison tradition has had to be regulated so extensively, possibly at the expense of what most partygoers attend State Street Halloween for in the first place.
It is fair for the city to recoup part of the bill it foots every year at the end of October, but the city’s efforts to do this through commercialization — handing the reigns over to a production company that has booked, hold your applause, Lifehouse — could take the life out of the party.
The admission system may be the ticket to a safer Halloween celebration now, but we are hopeful that it is simply a stopgap measure and that after a few more riot-free years, the city can revisit its plans for the event’s future. Halloween in Madison has seen numerous changes in the past — at one time even being sponsored by the student government — and it is likely this newest model will also need revision in years to come.
If the successful celebration last year is to mark the start of a new pattern in the Madison Halloween tradition, students and police officials alike must again be mindful of each other’s interests and act responsibly throughout the weekend. We call on the student body and the city of Madison to help ensure that this weekend is safe and enjoyable for everyone involved.
