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Wild Rumpus Magic: There’ll Be Dancing in the Street

Wild Rumpus. Credit: Adria Carpenter.

It’s that time of year when all of Athens is encouraged to haunt and frolic through the streets of downtown in their quirkiest, funniest, spookiest attire. 

The 13th annual Wild Rumpus Halloween Celebration received the necessary permit from Athens-Clarke County, after a decrease in COVID cases, to carry on the festivities Saturday, Oct. 30. Activities will begin with the Rumpus Rally at Creature Comforts Brewing Co. from 5–8 p.m. with music by Monsoon, Luxury Vehicle and Bichos Vivos on the Rabbit Hole Stage. From there, the Wild Rumpus Parade & Spectacle will take place at 8 p.m. starting on West Hancock Avenue adjacent to the brewery. The parade route will be speckled with more music and entertainment by Dialectic Flowers, DK, El ChupaSKAbra, Father Werewolf, Fishbug, Kxng Blanco and Caulfield featuring DJ Kountry Boy, OHMU, SHVKTi, Spectre of Surf and White Rabbit Collective. At the end of the parade route outside of the 40 Watt Club, all “freaks, beasts and creatures of the night” will gather for a massive dance party featuring The Booty Boyz and DJ ChiefRocka.

“My favorite part about Wild Rumpus is that it brings out the weird in everyone and features the best of Athens’ artists and musicians,” says Nick Bradfield, member of White Rabbit Collective and owner of platinum level sponsor Rabbit Hole Studios.

In July, the Wild Rumpus held its first Gala Fundraiser Benefit at Live Wire Athens, with musical support from Cindy Wilson, Nolan Bennett and Cassie Chantel. The sold-out event raised 10% of the needed budget. However, once COVID numbers began spiking in August, things did not look promising for in-person festivals—Wild Rumpus founder and director Timi Conley was reluctant to host a virtual event again this year.

“At a certain point, I was like either we have to commit to doing it knowing it could get canceled, or I have to pivot and do another online thing or something virtual, and nobody’s going to want that this year,” says Conley. “So, there was a lot that was very hung up. Some things are coming together very last minute. A lot of the fundraising got stalled out.”

In order to keep the event as COVID-safe and comfortable as possible for attendees, all Wild Rumpus affiliated festivities will be held outdoors. The last in-person event in 2019 included many sponsored events at indoor locations and venues around the downtown area in an effort to expand beyond the parade element and into a music festival. Due to keeping things outdoors, this year’s dance party will end later than usual at 11 p.m. Another COVID-inspired addition this year is the inclusion of an open container festival zone from 5 p.m.–1 a.m., spanning four blocks of downtown. “We did this at great expense and great effort to make it safe and cool for Athens. We put a lot of hard work into this open container thing, so people should know they can come out and not have to go in anywhere,” says Conley. Wristbands are required for those 21 and up indulging in the open container zone, which can be purchased for $5 at Creature Comforts, Paloma Park, Ted’s Most Best, Rook & Pawn and Trapeze Pub. Creature Comforts will have three outdoor bars for those who want to avoid going indoors altogether.

But that’s not where the Wild Rumpus “firsts” end. You may have noticed the unmistakable style of artist David Hale adorning the Wild Rumpus flyer. “It’s the first time I’ve ever asked anyone else to be a part of that. I’ve always done it myself,” says Conley, who was inspired by the imagery of the phoenix as a symbol of rising from the ashes of the pandemic and fitting the astrological profile he goes by. Being the 13th year, the festival finally cycled out of the 12 zodiacs and back to Aries—a fire symbol. Looking into phoenix myths brought Conley to the origin of a heron called Bennu in Egypt, and the bird imagery naturally brought Hale to mind as a collaborator. “He texted me back in disbelief, because he had this whole recent fascination with the Bennu, and he and his wife… they couldn’t believe it. It was just like Rumpus magic,” says Conley.

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