The price of admission to Freakfest may rise, according to city officials.
Discussions between the mayor's office and events organizers on the price of Freakfest tickets are ongoing, Kelli Lamberty, Madison Parks Community Events Coordinator, said in a meeting of the Downtown Coordinating Committee Thursday.
Frank Productions, the Madison-based concert promotions firm contracted by the city to plan and run the event, may raise admission prices to the annual Halloween celebration to attract musical acts that charge higher fees, Lamberty said.
It was the first that Alds. Mike Verveer, District 4, and Scott Resnick, District 8, who both sit on the DCC, said they had heard of the potential price raise.
Verveer, whose district encompasses a large part of downtown Madison, hopes whatever is decided benefits both the event and event goers.
""One of the criticisms that we've had in the past, unfortunately, is that a lot of students have said they thought that the caliber of entertainment wasn't really worthwhile,"" Verveer said. ""A lot of students say to me every year that they don't want to bother.""
A possible spike in ticket prices may add up financially for Madison, as Freakfest has been subsidized by the city since its rebranding as a ticketed event. According to projections based on 2010 costs, this year's festivities will cost the city nearly $200,000.
""We've come close [to breaking even],"" Verveer said, explaining the event gets closer to paying for itself every year via sponsorship and ticket revenue. Any rise in ticket prices will need to seek approval from the city's Common Council, which will meet next Tuesday.
Both ticket prices and the musical lineups will be announced on Sept. 26.
