HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Arts Huntsville invites the community to return to downtown Huntsville's Big Spring Park April 26th through 28th to celebrate the 42nd Panoply Arts Festival.
Over four decades, Panoply Arts Festival has evolved into a premiere arts weekend showcasing Huntsville's innovative spark through a three-day celebration of art, music and more. On Thursday, March 21, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle joined local artists and musicians along with Arts Huntsville’s board, volunteers and staff at the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau to announce details about the 2024 festival, presented by Mazda Toyota Manufacturing.
The 2024 Panoply celebration kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 26th, with regionally celebrated bands and musicians, the fan-favorite juried Art Marketplace, STEAM Street, art and STEAM interactives, an interactive temporary art project, craft beer and wine, local food trucks and more. This year the festival will again span across Church Street and into Big Spring Park East.
Featured Music: Panoply 2024 brings together a vibrant musical lineup featuring over 33 bands and musicians. Get ready to experience a wide range of musical genres across two festival stages: the Indie Stage and the Showcase Stage presented by Church Street Family. From soulful jazz and electrifying rock to smooth R&B and catchy pop, Panoply offers something for every musical taste. Festivalgoers will discover local favorites and regional talents, showcasing Huntsville’s incredible music scene.
On Friday night, the Showcase stage will feature two dynamic local women in music. Young singer-songwriter Delaney Faulds debuted on Panoply’s Indie Stage in 2023, but this year she is bringing her full band to the festival Showcase Stage. Local pop powerhouse The Dawn Osbourne Band will rock audiences and close out the festival’s Friday night lineup.
Saturday features a full day of music that starts when the festival opens at 10 a.m. One of the bands gracing the Panoply stage for the first time is The Band Silhouette, a new indie rock group. Their debut album "Seedlings" drops on April 12th! Returning favorites are also in the music mix throughout the day, as bands like Little and the Giants return to Panoply with their sweet contemporary folk sound. On Saturday night, get ready to dance as Soul Lit Band warms up the crowd before Huntsville's favorite progressive funk rock band, Quantaphonics, takes the stage. This 13-piece band is known for their energetic improvisation, on-stage chemistry and killer original music.
Panoply’s Sunday stage lineup begins with jazz from City Vibes and features an array of R&B and soul from Victoria Jones, Kristoffer Leshaun and Jazz McKenzie. Panoply’s Indie Stage, located in Big Spring East, plays host to many of Huntsville's favorite local singers and songwriters, duos, and instrumentalists such as: Shelly Saxman Williams, The Love Apples, Tyler AK, Cheryl Llewellyn, GORRIO, Preston Watts, C1Live and more. (Full programming schedule is available on artshuntsville.org.) Arts Huntsville is proud to celebrate and elevate the city’s thriving local music scene, and the HSV Music Office will host Panoply musicians throughout the weekend at the festival’s Relaxation Station Green Room.
New to Panoply 2024: “The Big Swim” Interactive Art Installation: Festivalgoers of all ages will immerse themselves in a kaleidoscope of color as they walk through a tunnel-like art installation designed exclusively for Panoply. The interactive art piece is created by local artist Susie Garrett.
The Panoply ZenZone: The Panoply ZenZone, presented by Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children, is a new sensory-friendly space within the festival. Panoply, by definition, is a magnificent array. At the Panoply ZenZone, festivalgoers of all ages will find an intentionally designed space in Big Spring Park that provides sensory resources for attendees to better enjoy the Panoply experience.
Arts in Action and Community Art: Regional artists will offer demonstrations of their craft at Panoply’s Arts in Action tents, where children and adults can try their hand at fiber arts with yarn or silk dying or learn to play music with cigar box guitars. Festivalgoers of all ages will also get to stretch their creative muscles with hands-on community art activities, including festival favorite “Paint the Panoply” letters presented by SCHOEL. The First Baptist Church Arts Team is also returning to Panoply this year, and with the support of First Baptist and the Trideum Foundation, festivalgoers will create an original mosaic installation to be installed at the new Sandra Moon Arts Rehearsal Wing.
Art OutLoud Stage: Panoply welcomes the return of the Art OutLoud Stage, presented by the Carrie Link Foundation for the Arts and Education. This stage features spoken word performances from local literary figures and poets. (Full schedule available on artshuntsville.org.)
Art Marketplace: The Panoply Art Marketplace provides prime shopping across Huntsville’s picturesque and beloved Big Spring Park. This year the juried Art Marketplace will welcome more than 100 visual artists. One of the festival's most popular features, the 2024 Art Marketplace will showcase longtime festival artists and over 40 first-time Panoply exhibitors. This year’s artists come from 23 states, with some traveling from as far as Colorado and Massachusetts for the 42nd Panoply Arts Festival. (Full list of artists available on artshuntsville.org.)
Student Art Tent and Face Painting Tent: Children and adults will discover budding local artistic talent at the Panoply Student Art Tent in Big Spring Park East, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama. This popular Panoply destination features artwork from students of all ages who attend public and private schools in Madison County. Across Big Spring Park by the Travellers public art installation, festivalgoers can celebrate their creative side at the Panoply Face Painting Tent – a festival favorite! – presented by Mirabel Chan & the Pei-Ling Charitable Trust.
Panoply Poster Artist: Each year, Arts Huntsville commissions an artist to create an art piece that captures the festival's spirit and the community. This year's Panoply poster artist is Jessica Nunno. Originally from Connecticut, Jessica holds a BFA in illustration from New York’s School of Visual Arts. Her work focuses on creature and character design, concept art, and comic and pop culture illustrations. She works out of her studio at Lowe Mill ARTS and Entertainment and she teaches locally with the Huntsville Museum of Art and Arts Huntsville’s Creative Launchpad.
"We were thrilled when Jessica agreed to create the artwork for our Panoply 2024 poster," shared Arts Huntsville Executive Director Allison Dillon-Jauken. "Jessica's work is filled with artistic energy and creative details, and it fancifully captures the vibrancy and excitement when Huntsville's arts, entertainment and music scene takes over Big Spring Park for the Panoply Arts Festival."
Nunno will sell her original paintings at Panoply, and festivalgoers can purchase merchandise featuring her artwork at the Panoply Store, presented by Georgia Pacific. Arts Huntsville will also offer a limited number of signed posters for the public to purchase.
Hands-on Activities: Panoply’s STEAM Street, presented by Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama, will celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Panoply Arts Festival with special activities:
- Huntsville City Schools Magnet Programs ’Thaumatropes’ presented by Intrepid
- Huntsville Ballet’s ‘Balancing Ballet Dancers’ presented by KBR
- ‘Cup-icopters’ presented by Hexagon
- Missile Defense Agency ‘Bridges’ presented by Boeing
- Fantasy Playhouse Theatre’s ‘Marionettes’ presented by the National Space Club
This year’s Panoply Creativity Corner, presented by Virginia and Parker Griffith, will offer Art Adventures for all to enjoy:
- Koi Windsock presented by Marilyn Lands and Robin Cozby
- Fisheye Weaving
- Watercolor Magic
- Creepy Crawlies
- Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Guilds ‘Discover Music’ presented by the VBC 50th. The Symphony Guild’s popular interactive experience introduces young people to musical instruments.
- The VBC 50th will be joining the Huntsville Symphony Guild at Panoply, and festivalgoers can stop and write down their favorite memory of the VBC which will be incorporated into a special 50th anniversary display within the VBC.
Military Salute Night: The Panoply tradition of Military Salute Night, presented by Northrop Grumman, continues Friday, April 26th. All active-duty military and Armed Forces Reserves and their dependents are welcomed to the park for a free evening of entertainment. Military personnel will be asked to show their current military ID at the entrances.
Panoply Beer, Wine and Festival Food: Along with Panoply's diverse array of art and music, festivalgoers can enjoy local tastes from 17 food trucks featuring Pepsi products from the official soft drink of Panoply. The popular Panoply Craft Beer and Wine Tent is once again centrally located between the main park and Big Spring East and will feature select wine and local craft beer from Yellowhammer and Straight to Ale.
Festival Seating and Fireworks: Enjoy Panoply's music and performances with open-air seating. Festival patrons are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets to sit on as they enjoy the lineup of Panoply performers. Friday and Saturday nights will end with a stunning firework display presented by Delta Research.
Tickets, Festival Entrances and Services: Arts Huntsville is offering a Panoply weekend pass available online in advance for $20. The pass provides an affordable way to enjoy Panoply's diverse entertainment all weekend. Weekend passes are only available until 4 p.m. on Friday, April 26th. Day passes are $15 and can be purchased in advance online and at the festival ticket booths, presented by Redstone Federal Credit Union. Children 12 and under are free of charge. Tickets are on sale now at artshuntsville.org.
The Panoply Arts Festival is April 26th, 27th, and 28th, 2024. Panoply 2024 hours by day are:
Friday, April 26, from 5 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Art Marketplace closes at 7:30 p.m.)
Sunday, April 28, from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Festival entrances are presented by Huntsville Utilities and TVA and are located on Church Street and Williams Avenue at Big Spring Park. The Panoply festival is supported by more than 1200 volunteers throughout the weekend. Volunteer Check-in Areas presented by Torch Technologies are adjacent to the festival entrances. AT&T, the official wireless and internet carrier, will be on-site to answer technology inquiries.