Freaknik

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Freaknik was a meeting of (primarily African-American) college students from all over the United States, occurring yearly in the city of Atlanta, Georgia.^[1] It was usually held during the third weekend in April, which at that time was Reading Day (or the break between classes and exams) for the schools of the Atlanta University Center. It began in 1982 as a small quiet gathering in Piedmont Park. It was initially sponsored by The California Club of Morehouse and Spelman colleges, two prominent historically black colleges.

The event suddenly increased in popularity in 1991 and became a gathering primarily focused on dancing, drinking, and partying. One complaint from Atlantans was that festival attendees were either driving slowly or stopping completely on the streets and highways of Atlanta.

Around 1994, city leaders took measures to curtail Freaknik's accessibility, and hence its popularity. Because of those plans, Freaknik in its later years moved to Memorial Drive in Dekalb County to take part in heavy late-night club activity during that time. Organizers also attempted to change the name of the event to Black College Weekend, although this never caught on.

At its peak in the mid-1990s, it drew upwards of 250,000 revelers to Atlanta. The primary complaint of Freaknik was that it brought extra criminal activity upon the city of Atlanta. In 1995, the Rich's department store at Greenbriar Mall was looted during Freaknik. In 1999, police arrested 350 people and towed 400 cars. The city paid more than $1 million in overtime to police officers — mostly for traffic control. Due to the police crackdown, 1999 was the last year in which Freaknik was held in Atlanta. The Freaknik festivities passed on to Daytona Beach, Florida, in 2000, until city officials there also grew tired of the antics of the attendees and decided to end the festival.

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