Madison - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz made the following statement at the conclusion of Freakfest 2007:

"This was the most successful Halloween on State Street in several years. The gating and ticketing strategy we started last year has resulted in a whole new tone for the event. Halloween in Madison has been transformed in a positive way.

"For the second year in a row, this has been a fun and positive event for the community. Thousands of people enjoyed great music, good food and some great costumes. Arrests were down again, and as last year, the event ended peacefully.

"It is my hope that we can continue to improve this event. My three goals continue to be: having the event end without incident; reducing costs to taxpayers; and addressing the issue of alcohol abuse. We have met the first goal two years in a row; we are making progress on the second goal, but must continue to find ways to increase revenue and reduce costs; the third issue is the most challenging, but anecdotal information indicates that abuse of alcohol was not as significant this year.

"Making this a fun and safe event would not be possible without the hard work of a great many organizations and individuals. Frank Productions did a great job organizing the entertainment this year, in conjunction with the Associated Students of Madison. Downtown Madison Incorporated (DMI) and the downtown Business Improvement District (BID) helped us develop a plan that was sensitive to the needs of downtown businesses. Mad City Broadband's assistance in deploying cameras in the State Street area also helped make this a safe event.

"A wide variety of city staff played key roles as well: most notably the Madison Police Department, but also City Engineering, the Parks Department, Metro Transit, Fleet Services, the Streets Department, the Madison Fire Department and the Information Technology Department. Thanks are also due to our law enforcement partners, including the State Patrol, University of Wisconsin Police, Dane County Sheriff's Department and State Capitol Police. And of course, thanks most of all to the thousands of people who attended Freakfest and helped make it a fun and peaceful event."