An estimated crowd of 50,000 people assembled on State Street for Freakfest this year, according to a city of Madison press release.
Madison Police Department was mainly satisfied with participants’ behavior, but the magnitude of the event created challenges for law enforcement, according to the release.
Madison’s Halloween celebration has been tamer in the years since the city government began its role in the event’s facilitation in 2006, but the tightly packed area, along with widespread consumption of alcohol, is more prone to dangerous situations.
Officers arrested two people and issued 44 citations, mainly for alcohol-related offenses. They also took 11 others to the local detox center and assisted in saving the lives of two dangerously intoxicated attendees.
An MPD sergeant said in the release that officers felt undermanned to deal with the sheer number of people on State Street. Although 35,000 tickets were sold, the total number of participants was likely closer to 50,000.
MPD officers are already preparing for next year’s edition of Freakfest. The event will take place on the same day as both Halloween and a home Badger football game against Rutgers.
