With Halloween less than a week away, Madison's downtown bars remain unsure of what to expect.
So far, the city has sold fewer than 5,000 tickets to the event, and if costumed partiers want to get on State Street after 6:30 p.m. Saturday, they will need a $5 ticket. But with over 75,000 Halloween tickets still available, it is becoming increasingly possible that bars accustomed to long lines and packed houses on Halloween are in for a change.
State Street Brats, 603 State St., is commonly crowded throughout Halloween weekend, especially on Saturday night. Brats manager Nathan Quella said he has no reason to believe this year's $5 cover will hurt Halloween business.
""We're basically full the whole night,"" Quella said. ""So even if a few people stay off State Street because they don't have tickets, we'll still probably have plenty of customers.""
Jess Mackesey, manager of Irish Pub, 317 State St., also said he doubts the $5 charge will affect business on Halloween. In fact, he said he expects Friday and Tuesday, the actual night of Halloween, to be busier than in years past.
""It's always quite busy on Saturday,"" Mackesey said. ""By eight or nine, we're at capacity and it's basically a full tilt night with constant turmoil.""
Jordan's Big Ten Pub, 1330 Regent St., stands over a mile away from State Street and is rarely considered a hot-spot of Halloween activity. Still, with football and hockey games scheduled for Saturday, the bar is likely to be full for the weekend.
In addition, said manager Nick Zabel, Regent Street has become a common destination for Halloween partiers looking for a low-key alternative to State Street.
""More and more, people will go down to State Street, say, ‘oh my God,' and then come back here,"" Zabel said. ""And with the $5 charge this year, I think we're going to see even more people just skipping downtown.""
Both Zabel and Mackesey said out-of-town visitors will likely make up the bulk of State Street revelers Saturday night.
""These out of town people who come for Halloween, and now for the football game, are always more boorish than the locals,"" Mackesey said. ""So Saturday, the tourist night, will probably be the jerkiest crowd to deal with.""
Quella said Brats owner Kelly Meuer is preparing the staff for Halloween, but that he does not expect to operate differently because of the $5 charge.
Instead, State Street Brats bouncers will meet today to discuss Halloween protocol, focusing particularly on handling patrons whose costumes conceal their identity, making age enforcement at the door even more difficult.
""Even if they are over 21, we tell our doormen to just turn them away if their costume makes it too hard to tell who they are,"" Quella said.
