Untitled Episode

Summary

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The Bert Show Podcast Summary

Episode Date: July 17, 2026
Main Theme:
A lively, authentic discussion about the potential resurgence of Freaknik in Atlanta, its cultural history, impact on the city, the logistics of navigating a packed weekend, and speculation about how this iconic event might unfold. Host Bert and the crew (notably Melissa), alongside callers, share anecdotes, debate controversies, and recall Atlanta's storied past with trademark candidness and humor.

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Episode Overview

The episode centers around the anticipation, concerns, and nostalgia surrounding the possible return of Freaknik, a historically significant spring break event popular among students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The panel discusses transportation headaches, the event's transformation over the decades, concerns about safety and logistics, and personal experiences—painting a vivid picture of Atlanta’s unique party culture.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Freaknik's Impact and the City's Warning

• Traffic Apocalypse Incoming:

  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) warns of 300,000 people descending upon Atlanta for multiple overlapping events, leading to dire traffic predictions.
  • Quote: "If it's not absolutely necessary for you to drive your car this weekend, we strongly urge you to find another way."
    — Burke Show Host (01:22)

• Freaknik as a Cultural Phenomenon:

  • Melissa details how Freaknik was, and for some still is, an iconic spring break for HBCU students. The city becomes the party venue, resulting in paralyzing gridlock—"a literal parking lot."
  • Quote: "The fun part of everything was to be in the cars, and that's where you saw everybody. So it is. It's a literal parking lot."
    — Melissa (03:33)

2. Evolution and Controversies of Freaknik

• Origins and Growth:

  • Catherine (caller) recalls early Freakniks in the 1980s as inclusive park gatherings with grills and blankets, not the later Main Street “cruise fest.”
  • Quote: “It was for the kids who could not go anywhere for spring break... then eventually what really messed it up... was that a lot of people who weren’t in college got involved…”
    — Catherine (06:21)

• Chaos in the Later Years:

  • Discussion of how scale and crowd changes led to issues—arrests, street closures, and negative PR for the city.

  • 1999 cited as a year with "350 people arrested... 400 cars towed," and over $1M spent on police overtime.

  • Quote: “By the time it was over in 94 and or in 99... it got a little out of hand.”
    — Burke Show Host (05:02)

  • Melissa’s Honest Take:
    “I normally have road rage. But I didn’t on freaknik because I knew what was coming.” — Melissa (08:47)

3. Nostalgia, Critique, and Generational Divide

• Personal Experiences:

  • Melissa shares stories of being immersed in Freaknik traffic—sometimes the only white person for blocks, leaning into the experience and camaraderie.
  • Quote: “...I was in downtown Atlanta in 93 in gridlock and just had a good time because there’s all the freaknickers and we’re in the middle of the party. So we just decided to party with them.”
    — Melissa (08:06)

• Serious Concerns:

  • Callers share both fond and shocking memories. One describes witnessing behaviors “I have not seen in porn movies... really, really bad... people doing things in corners and among kids.”
    — Caller 1 (09:09)
  • There’s worry that today’s “younger kids... don’t really know what it was about” so the event may not appeal, or might attract people for all the wrong reasons.

4. Potential 2026 Freaknik: Anticipation and Uncertainty

• Will It Really Come Back?

  • Multiple guests express skepticism that Freaknik will return in its former glory:

    • “I honestly don’t believe this is gonna have any effect this coming weekend. I think it’s gonna be just fine.”
      — Catherine (07:29)
    • “Because we’re older, so... we’re not that interested. And I think that the younger kids, they don’t really know what it was about. So I don’t think they’re going to be interested either.”
      — Caller 2 (09:55)

  • Organizers claim it will be “a kinder, gentler Freaknik,” with activities distributed around the metro area to minimize gridlock and safety concerns.
    — Burke Show Host (05:56)

  • Private security is promised due to lack of official police involvement.

• Public Safety and Logistics:

  • Concerns about repeat gridlock, especially given stories like the woman whose injured daughter couldn’t access a hospital because “the doctor couldn’t get to the hospital either. It was just gridlock all over the place.”
    — Burke Show Host (07:35)

5. Final Reflections and Practical Advice

• Traffic and event overlaps (beer fest, robotics competition, sports games, Dogwood Festival) will make for a hectic Atlanta weekend no matter how Freaknik turns out.
  • Recommendation: “You really may want to check the schedule. And if you’re heading down that way this weekend... you really want to consider Marta.”
    — Burke Show Host (10:55)

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Memorable Moments and Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |---|---|---| | 01:22 | Burke Show Host | “If it's not absolutely necessary for you to drive your car this weekend, we strongly urge you to find another way.” | | 03:33 | Melissa | "The fun part of everything was to be in the cars, and that's where you saw everybody. So it is. It's a literal parking lot." | | 06:21 | Catherine | “It was for the kids who could not go anywhere for spring break... then eventually what really messed it up... was that a lot of people who weren’t in college got involved…” | | 07:35 | Burke Show Host | Story about a parent unable to get their child to the hospital due to Freaknik traffic gridlock. | | 08:06 | Melissa | “...I was in downtown Atlanta in 93 in gridlock and just had a good time because there’s all the freaknickers and we’re in the middle of the party. So we just decided to party with them.” | | 09:09 | Caller 1 | “I went to freak me, I saw things on there that I have not seen in porn movies. It was really, really bad.” | | 10:55 | Burke Show Host | “You really may want to check the schedule. And if you're heading down that way this weekend... you really want to consider Marta.” |

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Listener Takeaways

• Atlanta’s traffic will be severe—plan accordingly or avoid altogether.
• Freaknik holds complicated cultural and emotional meaning for Atlantans, sparking pride, nostalgia, resentment, and anxiety.
• The city, organizers, and locals are in “wait and see” mode—hoping the worst doesn’t repeat, but bracing for the unpredictability that’s Atlanta at its party peak.

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The show blends humor, candor, and local savvy, providing an entertaining and insightful snapshot of Atlanta facing its wildest traditions—and the practicalities of urban life in full swing.

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Transcript

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[Burke Show Host]

Okay, front page of the AJC now says try not to freak out over crowds. And then the sub line is 300,000 folks expected in downtown midtown for a whole bunch of different events this weekend. It says Freaknickers might want to consider cruising on marta. Otherwise this weekend they'll compete for road space with a beer fest, a robotics competition, basketball at Phillips, Go Hawks, baseball at Turner Field, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and Piedmont park. And expected 300,000 people in. All right, the quote is it is not. If it's not absolutely necessary for you to drive your car this weekend, we strongly urge you to find another way. The AJC goes on to say, but can you really say that to a freaknicker? The automobile and the city street where were what drove the rolling unorganized party that became notorious for gridlock and ruckus behavior in the 90s. And Melissa, I think you gotta get ruckus behavior.

[Melissa]

That's a real newspaper writer word.

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Yeah.

[Burke Show Host]

This was written by Steve Visser, isn't it? Ruckus behavior. So give us a definition here for those that never got to experience freaknik. Yes, if it were to Become as big this weekend as it was back in the day. Then what would Atlanta look like?

[Melissa]

A parking lot. Yeah, absolute parking lot. I mean, remember your spring break? Where did you go on spring break? We always went to Panama City Beach. Other people went, you know, wherever you went. And remember that the cool thing to do is be in your car. And then you hung out with other people, you know, other college kids from other parts of the country that were in the traffic line with you and you partied in the streets and you smelled each other.

[Caller 1]

Woo.

[Melissa]

All the kids from Michigan were sunburned.

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[Melissa]

And that's what Freak Nick. That's what Freaknik is. It's a spring break. And so it's for the predominantly black colleges around the country. They come to Atlanta and it's their spring break. That's it. Plain and simple. But the thing is, we don't have a beach. So they go to downtown Atlanta, you know, and they party in downtown Atlanta. And at one point, they partied in Buckhead when there were bars in Buckhead. And it is literal gridlock. Because I do think that when they encourage Freaknickers to, you know, not take their cars. Well, that kind of. I mean, to be honest with you, as a college kid, that would have taken away my spring break experience, except for the beach. And there's, like I said, there's no beach in Atlanta. So where else are you gonna hang out? Unless it's at the parks, if they go to Piedmont park or whatever. But, yeah, the fun part of everything was to be in the cars, and that's where you saw everybody. So it is. It's a literal parking lot.

[Burke Show Host]

The great unknown here. And this is what the AJC says also is, is Freaknik going to return in full force or is it just a loud buzz at this point?

[Melissa]

Well, I don't know. There's no way of telling because, you know, I think it was the gridlock. And it was. It was just a lot of people who complained about Frignik being in town because, again, there was no, like, a Panama City. You have Front beach. And you know that if you live in Panama City, well, you just don't go to Front beach because that's where all the, you know, the spring breakers are going to be and they'll be at the beach or you just leave town for the weekend. And I, you know, I was a supporter of Freak Neck. I thought it was cool that there was spring break in Atlanta, but I also knew that I wasn't going to do anything that weekend. I didn't plan anything that weekend or I'd go out of town that weekend. So I never understood the big complaints. Unless, of course, you have to work and you have to be somewhere, then it is going to be a nightmare for you to get there. But. But yeah, so they asked, you know, asked these college kids to go somewhere else for their spring break. And so Freaknick was not in Atlanta for a long time. So I do think it's kind of. It's two different organizers that are trying to put Freaknik back on. So it is going to be interesting to see how many people actually show up in Atlanta Fort this weekend.

[Burke Show Host]

I think there are some that are going to be nervous also because it did get a little out of hand. I mean, it started back in like 83 and it was a picnic like Melissa said. And then by the time it was over in 94 and or in 99. The paper says that 350 people were arrested in 1999. They had to tow 400 cars. And the city paid for more than a million bucks in overtime to police officers, mostly for traffic control. But it got a little out of hand.

[Melissa]

Yeah, I mean, you know, college kids party and having a good time. And the more, the more they came, of course, the more fights you're gonna have, the more alcohol you're gonna have, the more of all that you're gonna have. And you know, the one concern I think for this weekend is that my understanding is the Atlanta Police Department's not involved. Like Mayor Kaseem Reed said, we can't help you. And so. But the Freaknik organizers are saying we have private security that's gonna help out. So we'll see how well that like cruising and showing off your car is part of it. So that's not gonna help with the traffic.

[Burke Show Host]

Well, here's what some of the Freaknik organizers are saying, and it's Freaknik Atlanta and Ifreaknik. They're saying it's gonna be a kinder, gentler Freaknik. And it's. They've spread out the timing and geography of events from the Cascade area to Stone Mountain and Roswell to try to help avoid some of that gridlock that we had back in the day. Hey, Catherine, good morning. You're on Q100.

[Catherine]

Hey guys. Good morning.

[Caller 2]

Good morning.

[Catherine]

Hey. Yeah, it was funny because when you're talking about this and you're right for it, I actually went to the early 80s ones that actually started back in Washington park. And basically it was for the kids who could not go anywhere for spring break. So they were all me in the park with their, you know, barbecue grills and everything else and blankets and just sit around and mingle. And that was how it actually started. But. And then plus also it wouldn't stay in the same venue every year. We would kind of like get the word on Friday that it was going to this location. So most of the time it was starting in the park. It wasn't like a cruise fest kind of thing. It was basically in the park. But then eventually I think what really messed up, messed it up for a lot of the college kids was that a lot of people who weren't in college got involved. A lot of, you know, older adults, a lot of locals got involved in and turned it into the debacle that it ended up into. So I think that's the biggest problem that we ended up having. And it turned it a bad, you know, it made a black eye on the whole event. So, you know, I just hate that it turned into what it did. And you know, I honestly don't believe this is gonna have any effect this coming weekend. I think it's gonna be just fine.

[Burke Show Host]

We got an email yesterday from, I don't have her name, but she said that like back in 1996, her three year old daughter had a really bad fall in Buckhead. And they tried getting her to Piedmont and everything was so backed up that they couldn't get to Piedmont Hospital. Then when they finally got there, they couldn't, the doctor couldn't get to the hospital to take care of her daughter. Cause he was coming from outside the city and was taking him like three hours. So he calls another D.O. who couldn't get to the hospital either. It was just gridlock all over the place.

[Melissa]

I'm not exaggerating when I say parking lot. That's exactly what I mean. I mean, two years. One. One year I was. Because I said yesterday I was involved in freaknik. Well, yeah, pretty much. Because I was in downtown Atlanta in 93 in gridlock and just had a good time because there's all the freaknickers and we're in the middle of the, you know, of the party. So we just decided to party with them. And then I was the only white girl within a two mile radius, which was fine with me because it got a lot of att and then. And then I was in Buckhead traffic toward the end, you know, toward 97, 98. And again, I knew what weekend it was. So you talk about, you know. Yes, I did.

[Ron]

So you can't be mad.

[Melissa]

I normally have road rage. But I didn't on freaknick because I knew what was coming.

[Ron]

And so music midtown was here. If you live in the apartments near where music midtown was, you're not allowed to get mad at the crowd because you know it's coming.

[Melissa]

And I thought. And I honestly, I did think it was cool that a bunch of college kids were coming. And so I was stuck in Buckhead in traffic, sitting there probably for two hours in the same spot.

[Burke Show Host]

Hey, Melissa. Good morning. You're on the Burke show.

[Caller 2]

Hi, Burke.

[Catherine]

Hi, everybody.

[Caller 1]

I love you guys. Thank you. I just wanted to say that when I went to freak me, I saw things on there that I have not seen in porn movies.

[Ron]

Really?

[Caller 1]

It was really, really bad. The people that really got into it. I mean, you saw people doing things in corners and among kids and stuff like that. It was really bad. So I really wish that it doesn't get out of hand and it doesn't get started at all.

[Burke Show Host]

Thanks for calling. Good morning, ron, you're on Q100. Unless you don't want to be Ron.

[Ron]

He's the magic silent man. Just read his thoughts.

[Melissa]

Yeah, he's trying to project to us.

[Burke Show Host]

Keisha, good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller 2]

Hey, good morning. Love the show.

[Melissa]

Thank you.

[Caller 2]

Love you. Melissa, that you went to Freaknik. I think that's awesome.

[Melissa]

Thank you, 93.

[Caller 2]

I have to agree with the previous caller, Melissa. I was just saying that I don't think. Because I was asking some of my friends what do they think? And everyone's kind of rolling their eyes. And I think because we're older, so. So we're not that interested. But. And I think that the younger kids, they don't really know what it was about. So I don't think they're going to be interested either. So I kind of. I hope it doesn't. I agree with the other caller. I kind of hope it doesn't anything comes of it. And I don't believe that it will

[Burke Show Host]

either, unless they're sort of. You know, the reputation in those later years of freaknik was that it was so wild. Unless the expectation is of the new generation that in order to continue sort of that brand that you gotta get totally out of hand, and that could be dangerous.

[Melissa]

Well, it depends on how much the organizers promoted this outside of Atlanta. Because, of course, in Atlanta, we have several colleges. Like she said, Washington park started with all these college kids that were local to get together because they couldn't get out of town. So if it's just the locals, it won't be a big deal what's happened, like you've heard it was people from all over the country coming, you know, and it just depends on how much they've advertised outside of Atlanta.

[Burke Show Host]

And the real issue really isn't just Freaknik. I mean, there's just so much stuff going on downtown and Midtown that you really may want to check the schedule. And if you're heading down that way this weekend, like if you're going to go to a Hawks game, you really want to consider Marta Yes.

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