State Street Halloween Party facts for kids
Quick facts for kids State Street Halloween Party |
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State Street Halloween Party, Madison, WI
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| Date(s) | Varies by year |
| Begins | 7:00 pm |
| Ends | 1:30 am |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | State St. Madison, WI |
| Inaugurated | 1979 |
| Participants | varies |
The State Street Halloween Party, also known as Freakfest, is a big yearly Halloween celebration in Madison, Wisconsin. The city helps organize this fun event.
Thousands of people, many dressed in amazing costumes, come to Freakfest. Lots of students from the University of Wisconsin–Madison join in. People also travel from all over Wisconsin and other parts of the country to be there. In the past, when there was no entry fee, huge crowds of up to 100,000 people attended. Now, with a small fee, the crowds are smaller and the event is much more peaceful.
Contents
How Freakfest Started
In 1977, students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison began a big block party on Halloween night. This party, known as the State Street Halloween Party, grew quickly. Thousands of people in costumes filled the streets.
By 1979, the student government started helping to organize the event. They used it to raise money. However, after some rule changes in 1986, the student government stopped sponsoring the party. For several years after 1989, the crowd sizes changed a lot.
Changes and Improvements
In the early 2000s, the Halloween party became very large. Sometimes, with so many people, there were problems like damage to property. By 2003, the event was costing the city of Madison a lot of money. City leaders were worried about keeping everyone safe and protecting local businesses. Some even thought about canceling the event completely.
In 2005, a very large crowd gathered. To help manage the situation, police had to step in.
In the summer of 2006, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced a new plan for Halloween. The main idea was to block off State Street and charge a small fee to enter. The street would also close at midnight. These changes helped make the event much safer and more organized. It became a peaceful festival supported by the city.
Freakfest Today
Since 2006, the city officially calls the party "Freakfest." It's a fun festival with different activities. You can often see films and enjoy live music from popular artists. In recent years, companies like Mountain Dew have helped sponsor the event.
In 2020, Freakfest was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attendance and Safety Over Time
The table below shows how many people attended Freakfest and how many arrests were made each year. You can see how the numbers changed after the city took control in 2006.
| Year | People Attending | Arrests | |
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| 2001 | 60,000 to 120,000 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 65,000 | ||
| 2003 | 65,000 Fri; 40,000 Sat | 350 (180 Fri, 170 Sat) | |
| 2004 | 80,000 | ||
| 2005 | 100,000 | 334 to 566 | |
| City government took control of the event | |||
| 2006 | 32,000 | 148 to 230 | |
| 2007 | 34,000 | 181 (55 Fri, 126 Sat) | |
| 2008 | 38,000 | 77 | |
| 2009 | 44,000 | 47 | |
| 2010 | 35,000 | 43 | |
| 2011 | 25,000 | 30 | |
| 2012 | 35,000 | 36 | |
| 2013 | 31,000 | 28 | |
| 2014 | 35,000 | 46 | |
| 2015 | 37,000 | 9 | |
| 2016 | 32,000 | 13 | |
| 2017 | 19,000 | 11 | |
| 2018 | 20,000 | 12 | |
| 2019 | 20,000 | 2 | |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | 0 | |
- The data for 2012-2016 shows tickets sold.
