2017 Panoply Arts Festival Must List for Kids
April in Huntsville means one thing for lots of families – the Panoply Arts Festival is around the corner! We caught up with the very busy but very excited Daniela Perallon, Marketing & PR Manager for Arts Huntsville to find out more about what she thinks should be on the Panoply Must List for kids and their families in 2017. Daniela was nice enough to host a giveaway for a lucky RCM reader to win a family 4-pack of tickets to this year’s festival at the bottom of this post!
Gazebo Family Stage Lineup
If you’re looking for a place to camp out with little ones, this could be your favorite stage. It’s the go-to place for children’s entertainment, including Doc Osborn’s Magic Show! This is just a sampling of what Panoply has to offer kids…
Friday, April 28
5 – 9pm Doc Osborn Magic Show
Saturday, April 29
11:00 – 11:30 a.m. – Karen Newsum
12:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Doc Osborn Magic Show
Sunday, April 30
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. – Karen Newsum
1:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Doc Osborn Magic
Also on Sunday, the Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theatre Players will be doing strolling performances throughout the park from 1:00 – 4:00 PM.
Headlining Musical Acts
Panoply Arts Festival welcomes more than 50 local and regional performers to three stages in Big Spring Park! This year’s featured performers include Nashville’s Humming House, North Alabama’s Secret Sisters, and the Grammy Award winning Blind Boys of Alabama. All are family-friendly and will get your toes tapping.
Preview the full stage lineup schedule before you go to be sure you don’t miss your favorite band or performance group!
Panoply Interactives for Kids
Panoply’s hands-on activities are STEAM-themed, and will attract science, tech, art, and math fans of ALL ages! Get a detailed list of these interactives here, but we’ve listed the ones we’re looking forward to the most below.
Defense Acquisition University’s Musical Math – Learn how music is composed of ratios through demonstrations showing how ratios of different bell weights, pipe lengths and string tensions create musical notes and chords. Festival goers will then create their own simple slide whistle.
Huntsville Ballet Company’s Physics of Pirouettes – Festival goers will learn about the physics of pirouettes, learn how to pirouette and create and decorate their own spinning tops.
Huntsville AL L5 Society’s Hovercrafts – Learn how hovercrafts work and make your own out of CDs and balloons
Get Creative!
Community Art Projects offer ways for kids (and kids at heart!) to celebrate their creative side. This year’s art projects include but are NOT limited to:
Panoply Letters – Six foot tall Panoply letters return to the festival, allowing you and your kids to paint and create a colorful display spelling out P-A-N-O-P-L-Y. It’s a great photo opportunity too!
Flying Fish – Make and bring home your own Panoply memento – a 3D Big Spring Park koi fish.
What to Bring to Panoply
A few Do’s and Don’ts to help you plan the perfect Panoply weekend.
- DO: Strollers or small wagons are helpful for small children.
- DO: Sunscreen is NOT optional at Panoply! While you’re at it, don’t forget sunglasses and a hat!
- DO: Bring a light jacket for the breezy bits in the morning and evening.
- DO: Your folding lawn chairs & blankets. The whole event has festival seating, which means there are limited chairs available and you should bring your own to be comfortable or be prepared to stand. The Panoply Stores will have special Panoply seats for sale if you want to come home with a functional souvenir from the festival.
- DO: Cash for parking. There will be an ATM on the festival grounds.
- DON’T: Please note that no pets or animals are permitted at the festival, with the exception of service animals.
- DON’T: Food and beverages are available throughout the festival, and coolers and outside food and beverages are not allowed. Panoply does permit parents to bring in baby food and formula for their little ones.
Panoply Safety Pro-Tips & Getting Around
Guest Services are located on the South side of the park near Williams Avenue. They include HEMSI/First Aid, the Info Booth where the Panoply Lost & Found is located, and the Lost Kids tent. Panoply provides free wristbands to every child through the gate and encourage parents to write their cell phone number on the inside of the wristband before securing it on their child. If the child is found by a Lost Kids volunteer, the volunteer will simply call the number on the inside of the band to locate the parent.
A festival map will be distributed at the entry gates of Big Spring Park.
Panoply Arts Festival Details At-a-Glance
View Website | Get updates on Panoply Facebook Page
When: April 28-30, 2017
Hours:
Friday, April 28 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 30 from 12:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Big Spring Park, Huntsville (map)
Cost: Adults are $10 per day at the gate & in advance (skip the lines!)| $18 weekend pass available in advance only | Kids 12 and under FREE!
Panoply Ticket Giveaway
Just click in this box to start entering to win four tickets to Panoply 2017!
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
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