It’s no secret that the City of Madison loves Halloween. They shut down State Street for a huge Halloween Party, people dress in costume, and national bands come to perform. This year, a new element will be added to the holiday’s excitement. Lake Monona will be dyed orange for the holiday.

“We brought in the team who dyes the Chicago River green for St. Patrick’s Day.” A representative said, “Pollution is not a worry, the dye is 100% bio degradable and will not harm the lake at all.”

The dying process will begin at 9 a.m. the morning of Saturday, October 26th. That’s when a six man team will hop aboard two boats to begin the process.

When the first boat heads out onto the water, three members of the crew will use sifters to spread dye into the water. The second boat will follow closely behind to stir the water and disperse the dye.

Crews will begin the process from the mouth of the Yahara River. There they will travel in a circular route towards John Nolan Drive. It’s estimated that it will take about 90 mins to turn the entire lake orange.

“We’re excited to bring this new element to Halloween, when people get off the Beltline at John Nolan as they are heading downtown, they will see the orange water and get excited. We hope it will become a new tradition, and we are able to do it again next year,” Organizers said in a press release.

The orange tint in the lake should last in the water approximately ten to fifteen hours.