Roo AotD Postlogue: Giant Puppet Parade

Happy Roo! Now that the Artist of the Day series is over, I want to do some fun posts to cover other stuff happening at Bonnaroo. Today, I want to talk about the Giant Puppet Parade featuring the Cattywampus Puppet Council and the Knox Honkers & Bangers Community Band. Check them out at the Rest Stop at 2 PM on Sunday.

Cattywampus started out of Knoxville in 2014 when two friends decided to make a couple of puppet heads, called Grandma and Grandpa, for a summer parade event. This initial idea has bloomed into the Cattywampus Puppet Council, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that provides a free creative outlet for youths in Knoxville. The organization is known for its puppet parades, which include a 16-foot Big Dolly Parton puppet among other characters like Possum, Raven, and Bear. The mission of Cattywampus is to create tools for resilience through play, celebration of the arts, and storytelling in an effort to transform individuals and communities.

In 2023, the Knox Honkers & Bangers marching band was formed at the annual Cattywampus Parade and Block Party. The band is under the Cattywampus organization. This is an inclusive, hot-pink community marching band open to everyone regardless of experience. The band features honkers, bangers, flag twirlers, dancers, and other performers who perform at community events all around Knoxville. If you are local to the area, they do open rehearsals every Wednesday at 6:30 PM.

Come out to the Rest Stop on Sunday from 2 to 3 PM to check out the Giant Puppet Parade featuring both the Cattywampus Puppet Council and the Knox Honkers & Bangers. I’m sure this will be a treat for everyone involved! We will finally get the Dolly Parton (puppet) appearance we have all been screaming for.