Packaged, staged Freakfast is winner, officials say

By Alec Luhn


Even officials charged with keeping Halloween under control got into the festivities late Saturday: Mayor Dave Cieslewicz had his photo taken with a group of gnomes, and City Council President Mike Verveer kissed a police officer’s horse.

As State Street’s Freakfest celebration wound down peacefully early Sunday, city officials reflected positively on this year’s event, which featured food vendors and three music stages provided by corporate sponsors and Madison’s Frank Productions.

“For those of us who think it’s a cool tradition Madison should embrace and be proud of, [Freakfest] is seeming practically perfect,” Verveer said.


The corporate sponsorship and increased admission price – from $5 to $7 – helped manage Halloween, according to Verveer and others.


“It’s a necessary evil, so the powers that be don’t try to end the event,” Verveer said as he strolled through packs of partiers on State Street shortly before midnight.


State Street Alderman Eli Judge, 8th-District, called the absence of the spontaneity of past Halloweens a “temporary trade-off.”


“There is something that was lost,” Judge said. “Hopefully, over the course of time we’ll be able to pull it back.”


Some opposed the event’s new structure, though.


Recent University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate Abby Lutgen said Saturday’s festivities compared negatively with the three Halloween celebrations she attended before Freakfest began last year.


“It seems too commercialized now,” Lutgen said. “The pace is not as hot as it used to be.”


Freshman Eric Falk of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, was enjoying himself as he bobbed to Natty Nation at the Milio’s Subs stage, but said he felt stifled by Freakfest’s increased security. “It’s supposed to be a free party; it shouldn’t have to be something that’s roped off,” Falk said.


“Everyone in the city should be able to be here, not just a few people.”


The music was an added bonus, even if the stages didn’t “mesh with the whole scene,” Falk said.


The entertainment lineup put together by Frank Productions included local acts as well as nationally touring groups, such as headliner Lifehouse. The band’s set drew an excited crowd of concertgoers to the Mountain Dew stage on the Capitol Square.


“It’s tight – it’s a perfect fit for the crowd,” said UW Eau Claire freshman Aaron Golz as parts of the costumed audience bounced up and down to the tunes of Lifehouse


Golz said he didn’t object to the ticketing and corporate sponsorship of the event, adding that the $7 was worth it.


“I love it, even if it’s a bit scary at times, with some of the weird people here,” he said.


Festival-goers and officials mingled with a crowd estimated at 34,000, similar to the size of last year’s event. Policemonitored the celebration at a command center in the downtown Fire Station, feeding live footage of State Street and nearby areas from 10 cameras.


Despite a crush of people at some entrances, and periodic obscene chants, police were pleased with crowd behavior and were hopeful for fewer police in the future.


“We’re moving a long ways toward an event that isn’t so wrapped around policing,” said Joel DeSpain, spokesman for Madison police, in front of the bank of screens displaying footage of the festivities.


Judge noticed more revelers in costume than in normal dress during his time on State Street, which made for a happier crowd and better event, he said.


Mayor Dave cited the varied demographics of the crowd as a reason for Freakfest’s success.


“It seems like a pretty good mix,” Cieslewicz said. “It seems to me as young as ever, but maybe with a sprinkling of older folks.”


A continued student stake in the event bodes well for future Freakfests, Cieslewicz added.


Judge, however, would like to see more sponsorships from local businesses, bigger musical acts and free admission for Madison students.


But overall officials hope to build off of this year’s celebration – probably with Frank Productions again, according to Verveer.

“[I]t certainly is a different vibe,” Verveer said, calling it much better than an event “ending in a sea of pepper spray.”

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