Huntsville’s signature event isn’t going to happen this year. The 2020 Panoply Arts Festival has been cancelled “due to global health concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a March 24 announcement from Arts Huntsville, the nonprofit organization that presents the fest. Previously scheduled for April 24 - 26, this would’ve been the event’s 38th edition.

“While we are deeply saddened that we cannot share the great programming our staff and volunteers have planned for Panoply this year, we hope the community will work to support our local artists, musicians and arts organizations at this critical time,” says Arts Huntsville Executive Director Allison Dillon-Jauken, in a press release. “The artists and vendors scheduled to participate in Panoply – along with all of our local artists and arts organizations – are small businesses struggling to sustain their income through this difficult time.”

Held in downtown Huntsville’s Big Spring Park, Panoply is also known for its live music. The festival’s lineups have mixed an array of national acts, such as the Indigo Girls, Secret Sisters and John Paul White, and top Huntsville musicians, including blues-rocker Microwave Dave. Last year, around 40 acts performed. Perhaps Panoply’s most vital component is the family friendly atmosphere and kid-centric programming, including displays of artwork from area schoolchildren and performances by youth dance troupes, etc. Friday and Saturday night fireworks displays are another Panoply tradition. Weekend passes last year were only $18 or $10 per day, and children under 12 were admitted free, making for a very doable weekend family excursion for many folks.

Panoply debuted in 1982. According to Arts Huntsville, more than 72,000 people attended Panoply in 2018. A study conducted by Georgia Tech economists found Panoply wielded a $2,813,519 total economic impact last year. That latter figure accounts for festival attendees’ and vendors’ peripheral spending, including hotels, travel and food, as well as festival production expenses, such as staging and sound.

Despite the 2020 cancellation, the show will go on, at least digitally. Beginning in April, Arts Huntsville’s social media channels will feature local visual artists, musicians and arts organizations scheduled to participate in Panoply 2020, along with a method of online tipping to support those entities and individuals.

Dillon-Jauken tells AL.com that Panoply will “absolutely" return in 2021. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time Panoply has been cancelled due to a community crisis,” Dillon-Jauken says. “In 2011, Panoply was scheduled to begin two days after the April 27 tornadoes. Arts Huntsville quickly worked with the City of Huntsville to re-purpose generators for critical needs and dispatched festival food vendors to critical areas without power.”

She says 2020 is similar. “While we regret the loss of the festival, the health of our community, artists, performers, partners, volunteers and staff is paramount. We look forward to another great Panoply line-up in 2021, but in the interim we encourage the community to support our local artists.”

Arts Huntsville was founded in 1962, to advance Huntsville-area arts, entertainment and culture. In addition to Panoply, the organization is behind several other local favorites, including Concerts in the Park and Monte Sano Arts Festival.

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