Giant puppets in Knoxville

The Big Ears Festival in Knoxville will host the Krewe du Cattywampus second line-style parade on March 26, bringing giant puppets to Knoxville streets.

Led by New Orleans’s historic Preservation Hall Jazz Band and joined by an assembly of musicians from New Orleans and Haiti, the parade will fill the streets with music, art, joy, dancing, and revelry.

Community members of all ages are invited to make giant puppets, masks, costumes, and other art and come together for the parade, which will kick-off in the Old City at 1 p.m. and then transition into a street party from 2-4 p.m. at the Southern Railway Station. Entertainment includes local hip-hop and drumming from Good Guy Collective and Drums Up, Guns Down, as well as performances from Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sporty’s Brass Band, and other Big Ears artists. There will be food trucks and art and play activities for all ages. Both the parade and street party are free and open to the community.

Cattywampus Puppet Council, which utilizes community-based theater, parades, and participatory workshops to cultivate joy and creativity in community, will host open studio days at St. James Episcopal on Sunday, March 20, 2-6 p.m., Monday, March 21, 4-7 p.m., and Tuesday, March 22, 4-7 p.m. for interested residents to work on giant puppets and make their own art for the parade. All are welcome. 

To register to be in the parade, access resources for building your own giant puppets and other art, or find out more, please visit  this link. Info can also be found through the Big Ears Festival website here.