HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Panoply Arts Festival turns 40 this year, with returning favorites and new activities for the three-day festival at Huntsville's Big Spring Park.
The Huntsville Police Department (HPD) is assisting with traffic control and road closures for the 2022 Panoply Arts Festival being held Friday, April 29 to Sunday, May 1.
In preparation for the event, HPD has closed several streets around Big Spring Park in Downtown Huntsville. The following closures will be in effect through Monday, May 2 at 5 p.m. to allow crews time to break down the event.
- The northbound and southbound lanes of Church Street that run between both sides of the park will be closed.
- The southbound lanes of Monroe Street and eastbound lanes of Williams Ave. will remain open for one-way traffic around the venue.
After a virtual event in 2020 and a scaled-back event in 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns, Panoply is back with more space, more artists, more performances, and more activities.
The big festival means there's a big need for volunteers. The minimum age to volunteer is 14 years old with an adult present. Volunteers 16 and 17 years of age may volunteer with permission from a parent or guardian.
Volunteers will gain free admission to enjoy the festival before or after their shift.
Individuals can sign up to volunteer at artshuntsville.org. Groups interested in volunteering together can email Community Outreach Manager Ashley Hudson at ahudson@artshuntsville.org to coordinate the group volunteering.
New this year:
Art OutLoud Stage, presented by Pei-Ling Charitable Trust, will provide an outlet for spoken word performances from local literary figures, poets, authors, and comedians.
Returning Favorites:
Art Marketplace: The Art Marketplace, presented by Hiley Mazda, provides prime shopping in a beautiful setting. This year the juried Art Marketplace will welcome more than 100 visual artists with 50 first-time Panoply exhibitors.
Student Art Tent and Face Painting Tent: Two popular tents make a comeback this year at Panoply.:
- The Student Art Tent, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, returns to Panoply in Big Spring Park East to showcase budding talent from students in public and private schools across Madison County.
- Panoply Face Painting Tent, presented by T-Mobile.
Arts in Action and Community Art: Regional artists will offer demonstrations of their craft at Panoply’s Arts in Action tents, where festivalgoers can get a first-hand look at the process of en plein air painting, art journaling, vinyl art and cigar box guitars. Festivalgoers of all ages will also get to stretch their creative muscles with hands-on community art activities:
- Huntsville City Schools Magnet Programs Rockin Rockets!, presented by National Space Club – Using paper straws and pipettes, festivalgoers will create a propulsion system. Once the design process is complete, they will test their rockets to see how far they will go and then adjust to increase distance.
- Huntsville Ballet’s Twirling Tops, presented by Davidson Technologies – Festivalgoers will learn about the physics of pirouettes, learn how to pirouette and create and decorate their own spinning tops.
- North Alabama Arts Education Collaborative’s Fresh Beats – In this DIY electronics project, by building banana pianos, festivalgoers will discover how to make a simple circuit and how electricity is conducted.
- Fantasy Playhouse presents Nutrition with Nick Nutrition and His Wonder Dog Fiber – Using visual art, health science and math, festivalgoers will learn about nutrition.
- Mini Macchia Madness, presented by Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children – Festivalgoers will create Chihuly’s famous Macchia series using vibrant dashes of color on coffee filters to recreate the color and shape.
- Wonders of Watercolor, presented by Virginia and Parker Griffith – Festivalgoers will learn simple watercolor techniques to create one of several designs or create their own watercolor masterpiece.
- The Dot Stop, presented by Parkway Place Mall – “Everything starts with a dot” ~ Wassily Kandinsky. Using paint, foil and other artist tools, festivalgoers with create their own dot monoprint.
- Black Out Poetry, presented by Representative Mike Ball – Festivalgoers can find their inner poet with just a page from a book and a sharpie.
- Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Guilds Instrument Petting Zoo – The Symphony Guild’s popular musical experience always introduces young people to musical instruments at Panoply.
Music stages:
Panoply’s Indie Stage will be featured in a new location in Big Spring Park East and will showcase local solo and duo music performances throughout the weekend by favorites such as Delaney Faulds, Shelly Williams, Josh Allison, Jerome Villarreal, Charles and Tanya, Jimmy Henderson, Remy Neal and Cheryl Llewellyn to name just a few
The Pepsi Showcase Stage, located on the back of the Huntsville Museum of Art, will feature multiple bands and shows during the three-day festival.
Click here for the pull performer list and schedule.
Military Salute Night: The Panoply tradition of Military Salute Night, presented by Dynetics, continues on Friday, April 29. All active-duty military and Armed Forces reserves, along with 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 13 food trucks. This year, the popular Craft Beer Tent, presented by Diamonds Direct, returns, featuring beer from breweries across the region. The 2022 festival also features a new partnership with Church Street Wine, with select wine available in the Panoply Art Marketplace and the Craft Beer Tent.
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 both end with a stunning fireworks display, presented Delta Research.
Tickets: Arts Huntsville is once again offering a Panoply weekend pass available online in advance for $18. The pass offers an affordable way to enjoy Panoply’s diverse entertainment all weekend. Weekend passes are only available until 4 p.m. on Friday, April 29. Day passes are $10 and can be purchased in advance online or at the festival ticket booths, sponsored by Redstone Federal Credit Union. Tickets are on sale now at artshuntsville.org. Children 12 and under are free of charge.