The date for the Mifflin Street block party—Saturday, May 5—was set in stone Tuesday night by the City Council.
The Mifflin block party traditionally falls on the first Saturday of May, but the last few years it has taken place in April because of the early start to UW-Madison's spring semester.
This year, the block party will have to contend with the Dalai Lama, as he is set to speak at the Kohl Center on the same day. Students with tickets to the Dalai Lama will have to decide between the two.
""With the Dalai Lama in town, maybe we can all ride cows down the street for him,"" said UW-Madison senior Brandon Powell, adding that the later date is only going to make the event that much better.
""Hell yeah, that's less clothing,"" Powell said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the council passed the date unanimously and that if students living on Mifflin were not prepared before, they should be now.
He said they should also be aware of the no-glass ordinance put in place by the city to help keep the party safe.
""It's a vehicle the City Council uses,"" Verveer said. ""It's written with checks and balances in mind.""
The ordinance, according to Verveer, does not allow glass bottles on the street as a safety precaution. He said the glass-bottle ban would help curb some of the violence that traditionally occurs during the event.
George Twigg, spokesperson for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said students could expect the event to run as usual if it were not for the later date. He said few of the tactics from Halloween would be incorporated into the block party.
""The mayor has always viewed Mifflin as a Madison centered, local event,"" Twigg said. ""So we approach it a little differently. At this point you are definitely not going to see any ticketing or gating.""
