Release from Madison Police Department:

Freakfest 2009 is over, and the event – from a police perspective – went extremely well again this year.

The vast majority of the crowd was jovial, well behaved, and responsible. Around 44,000 tickets were sold for this year’s party. As of 2:00 a.m., there had been 47 arrests most were for minor offenses the vast majority of people were cited and released, and only two went to jail.

This was the fourth consecutive successful year for Freakfest. There were no major incidents reported in the event area, no significant injuries, and no property damage.
A celebrant was taken to a hospital, with apparent minor injuries, after a police horse spun into him, and knocked him down.

There were several fights in other areas of the downtown, and one relatively minor stabbing: A man said he was cut in the arm and buttocks just after 1:00 a.m. while waiting in a line, outside of the Madison Avenue bar, in the 600 block of University Avenue. He was transported to a local hospital with - what were described as - superficial wounds. No perpetrator was located. In addition, a Madison Police officer was punched while trying to break up a fight. A suspect was arrested for that battery (see separate Incident Report).
It should be noted that similar incidents to those listed in this paragraph take place on any given Saturday night in the downtown area.

The Madison Police Department, and its’ partner city agencies, wish to thank Frank Productions, and other law enforcement for making Freakfest 2009 an enjoyable, and safe event. Those protecting and serving with the MPD were: the Wisconsin State Patrol, the Dane County Sheriff’s Department, the UW Police Department, Capitol Police, Fitchburg Police, Sun Prairie Police, and RTM security.