After a two-year absence due to COVID-19, the Granfalloon festival is back this summer, taking place June 1-5 at the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities and other locations in the heart of Bloomington.
The festival will feature a number of local artists, writers and musicians, with indie bands Car Seat Headrest and Japanese Breakfast headlining the event on June 4.
Along with these musical performances, Granfalloon will feature events curated by the Indiana University Writers’ Conference and the Bloomington Handmade Market.
“The festival is designed to showcase Bloomington arts culture and to kick off the summer festival season,” Ed Comentale, director of the IU Arts and Humanities Council, said.
The event’s schedule includes displays by local artists, two new plays written by Bloomington playwrights, and musical performances by local bands. The headlining performances will be free and take place on Kirkwood Avenue. VIP tickets, as well as tickets for venue events, will be available March 1.
In its 82nd year, but only its first partnering with Granfalloon, the IU Writers’ Conference will feature readings from recipients of the Indiana Author Awards, as well as workshops and classes taught by local writers.
Local writers include Melissa Febos, Ashley C. Ford and IU alumnus Peter Kispert. Workshops will take place in the Cook Center from June 2-5.
As the festival is inspired by the work and life of Kurt Vonnegut, the Kurt Vonnegut Library and Museum will be presenting “Vonnegut @ 100: A Century of Stories” on June 1. The Indianapolis-based museum will be showcasing rare manuscripts and other relics from their collection.
The exhibit will also feature an enormous timeline created by Louisiana artist Chris King detailing Vonnegut’s life, and copies of a new biography entitled “Breaking Down Vonnegut” by museum founder and CEO Julia Whitehead.
This year’s festival is themed around Vonnegut’s novel “Galapagos,” which deals with ideas of environmental catastrophe and the end of the world. In working with this theme, Granfalloon will feature panels relating to environmental sustainability. Comentale said, of the theme, “We are planning to make this an environmentally sustainable fest. [...] We hope that it becomes a model for other environmentally progressive festivals for the city and the region.”
This year, for the first time, Granfalloon has a number of supporters from the IU and Bloomington communities, including the Office of the Provost and the Graduate Bloomington. Visit the Granfalloon website for the event schedule and more information.
