Let the Wild Rumpus start!

For the first time ever in Athens, on Halloween night there will be a parade through downtown to commemorate the night and celebrate the spirit of the wildly beloved children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are.”

The Wild Rumpus has been several years in the making for local musician Timi Conley.

“I’m always active on Halloween because it’s my favorite night of the year,” Conley said.

“I have this vision of Halloween having the ability to be Athens’ Mardi Gras and have that level of excitement. [Halloween in Athens] is really something that the rest of the country doesn’t know about yet but should.”

Two years ago, Conley and friend Daniel Peiken came up with the idea of having a crazy Halloween parade.

“My vision is to have everyone in costumes together and march it through downtown Athens with regiments and have a drum-line in front,” Conley said.

Though the original idea included organized brigades, now the parade is open to any costumes.

“We got feedback from people saying that the Rumpus needed to be less organized and more chaotic,” Conley said.

There will still be a few brigades though, including an X-Men group and a Snuggies group.

The parade, which begins at 10 p.m. on the corner of Pulaski and Clayton streets, will make its way through the hot spots of downtown Athens.

Its final destination will be Tasty World, where Conley’s band Kite to the Moon is playing.

“The great thing about the parade is that it is early enough that anyone who wants can participate and then disperse and do their own thing for Halloween,” Conley said. “Ideally though, I would love to have everyone participating in the parade come to Tasty World.”

Tasty World is offering a $5 discount for all who participate in the parade.

“I wish I could somehow put all the Athens Halloween shows together into one awesome show,” Conley said. “I thrive on Halloween.”

The title, “The Wild Rumpus,” comes directly from the book now made into a motion picture.

Conley described the timing as a fantastic coincidence.

“I came up with the title before I knew the movie would be coming out around the same time,” he said. “It has a really cool nod to the book and the new movie as well.”

Conley has taken proactive measures to include Athens law enforcement and the city in the plans in order to ensure the safety of paraders.

“[The city] loves the idea,” Conley said. “They would actually like to make it an annual event.”

The parade will be on the sidewalk so it won’t disturb the existing foot and street traffic.

“I personally want to see the Rumpus develop and see it get bigger and bigger. Hopefully next year we can possibly even be able to have it in the street,” Conley said.

Conley is calling all local amateur filmmakers to record footage, which will be compiled into a video after the event.

“I am calling to anyone and everyone in Athens to come out and dress in whatever costume suits their personality,” he said.

“It’s going to be wild fun.”