The Mifflin Street Block Party with its crowded porches, empty beer cans and matching T-shirts is inseparable from the end of the academic year.
Although the way students celebrate it has changed since its origins in 1969, residents find Mifflin closely tied to Madison’s identity and continue to view the event as essential despite pressure from city and campus officials to end the party.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam infamously pointed out Mifflin is neither a city nor UW-Madison event in a video that went viral with remixes and parodies. And to a point, students agree, viewing it as an event they share among one another and will continue to attend.
Sam Konkol, a 2011 graduate, said celebrating Mifflin has “intrinsic” purpose.
“It’s actually a celebration of itself,” Konkol said. “People just celebrate drinking by drinking a lot.”
Junior Samantha Beaumont said although she does not like Mifflin, she still goes because she sees it as tradition.
“I’m not into the whole drinking in the morning and all day thing,” Beaumont said. “It’s just crowded. Last year I didn’t have a good time. I’m still going to go, because I’ll get so much crap if I don’t go.”
For some students, Mifflin’s legitimacy as a tradition comes from its origins as an antiwar demonstration. The first Mifflin in 1969 was a student protest against the Vietnam War which Isthmus’ Daily Page wrote “irreversibly changed the course of Madison politics.”
But senior Karl Iglesias said the Mifflin block party students celebrate today does not have to be connected to its original protest culture.
“People don’t know Jesus and they celebrate Christmas,” he explained.
Though students see it as their own celebration before finals, Mifflin affects the rest of Madison as well. The collective participation of thousands supports area businesses but also requires police to spend tax dollars on safety.
After two stabbings marred last year’s Mifflin, Mayor Paul Soglin said he wanted to stop the block party. But recognizing that people will attend on May 5 regardless, city officials and students have worked to make the event safer.
This year, the city is not allowing vendors. Police will not block off the streets, making the area accessible to emergency vehicles. And although no open containers or glass are allowed on the street, thousands of people from Madison and around the region will still show up to join the party.
Police arrested 160 people at last year’s block party, which was considered one of the most violent in recent years. Both city officials and students have cited last year’s open container policy as a cause of that violence because alcohol is so connected to downtown crime.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said Madison’s taxpayers are concerned about police resources required to supervise the thousands of participants. Having more police on Mifflin leaves fewer officers in other parts of the city.
But Resnick added that students paying property taxes generate enough to justify spending taxpayer dollars. He called the $134,000 Mifflin cost the city last year “pretty small in comparison to what the tax base of the students actually generate[s] for the city.”
Some city businesses say they will benefit from Mifflin, given the number of people who come from out of town for the celebration. While some Madison residents worry about Mifflin draining city resources, local eateries are gearing up for the day’s profits to skyrocket.
According to supervisor Adam Nagy, Mifflin is the busiest day of the year for Ian’s Pizza on Frances Street. Some of its manpower that day will be devoted to workers visiting Mifflin and handing out promotional items like stickers and free slice cards.
“It’s [about] keeping a connection with the community and with the students,” Nagy said.
Mifflin is an event partiers and businesses alike look forward to, but one police and city officials dread. Despite having moved on from its activist beginnings, the block party keeps students coming back to an event they share together.
As Iglesias said, “Mifflin is an ‘us’ thing.”
