The large lighting trucks previously located on State Street will no longer illuminate Freak Fest this year after the Downtown Coordinating Committee approved a new appropriation of funds for the event.
The funds, moved from the Contingent Reserve Fund, allocate over $35,000 for use during State Street's Freak Fest. Extra funds for Halloween are down this year, according to Chris Klein, aide to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. The Madison Police Department has deemed the extra lighting unnecessary, Klein said, and doing away with this lighting in the new budget met with unanimous approval by the committee.
In years past, the stadium lights have been on cranes, only to be used in certain situations. Authorities intended the lights to be used to tell people to go home at the end of the night. Klein said the stadium lights were never used for that purpose and so getting rid of them makes sense and cuts costs.
Whether or not they will need such lights in the future remains unknown.
""Obviously we can't predict if we need them,"" Klein said.
In another attempt to cut costs, fewer state troopers will patrol the event, though Klein said the event will be ""very well policed.""
However, many aspects of Halloween on State Street will remain the same. The times and stages are the same as in previous years, according to Klein.
The committee also approved an annual motion to make State Street's Freak Fest a glass-free zone.
""It's made a big difference, [glass] is a safety issue,"" Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
Passing a glass-free zone for State Street on Halloween requires a motion and approval each year. The motion is traditionally approved annually for events like Freak Fest and the Mifflin Street Block Party.
""We've done this before —every year,"" committee chairperson Troy Thiel said.
