"Granfalloon: A Kurt Vonnegut Convergence" will take place this year from May 9-12 in Bloomington.
The summer festival celebrates the life and work of famous Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut through performances, keynote speakers and creative activities.
“We think that the diversity of academic scholarship, musical performances and art is going to bring together a wide variety of people,” said Joe Hiland, associate director of the IU Arts and Humanities Council.
The festival features a talk with American author Dave Eggers at 7 p.m. May 10 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Eggers is best known for his books, “The Circle” and “What Is the What” and as the founder of literary journal McSweeney’s.
The musical performances kick off with "The Granfalloon Club Fest" at 7 p.m. May 10 at the Bluebird Nightclub with performances by Khruangbin, Sudan Archives and Huckleberry Funk. The action shifts over to the Bishop at 10 p.m. for performances by Austin White, Barrie and a third act that is yet to be announced. There is also the Late Night Dance Party at 10 p.m. at The Blockhouse Bar with DJ Action Jackson.
Cardinal Stage, Bloomington’s professional theater company, will present dramatic adaptations of Vonnegut’s short stories in its performance of “Vonnegut on Stage: War, Technology and Unintended Consequences” at 3 p.m. May 10 and 6:30 p.m. May 11.
Granfalloon closes with the Outdoor Music Fest at 5 p.m. May 11 at Upland Brewing Company. This event features performances by Neko Case, Parquet Courts and Durand Jones & The Indications.
“I think everybody is really excited about Neko Case,” Hiland said. “Neko Case was someone we thought who appealed to a wide audience.”
Voces Novae, a Bloomington-based chamber choir, will premiere Vonnegut’s full musicalized version of “Requiem” at 7 p.m. May 11 and 3 p.m. May 12 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington.
Last year’s inaugural Granfalloon Festival featured musical artists Father John Misty, Noname and Oh Sees.
The festival’s namesake is the term “granfalloon,” coined by Vonnegut in his 1963 novel “Cat’s Cradle.” He offered Hoosiers as an example of the term thanks to the sense of community felt within the state, Hiland said.
“A granfalloon is a proud and meaningless association of human beings,” Vonnegut wrote in his 1974 book “Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons.”
The event is supported by IU’s New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program and a number of community partners from around Bloomington such as The Bishop, Upland Brewing Company, The Bluebird Nightclub, Hopscotch Coffee and more.
“The festival is something that really captures the spirit of Bloomington,” Hiland said.
