HUNTSVILLE – In its 38th year, Panoply Arts Festival will feature about 40 local and regional musicians and bands on three stages.

Panoply 2020 will be held in Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville on April 24-26. Panoply is the Southeast’s premier arts weekend, and Huntsville’s innovative spark shines through a festival of visual art, music and drama.

Panoply encompasses all branches of fine arts and pays tribute to cultures around the world. “2019’s Panoply Festival was out of this world. 2020 is sure to be nothing short of amazing,” a contact with Arts Huntsville said.

Panoply visitors can spend the day creating crafts with children, stage-hopping to listen to live music with a craft beer in hand or shopping for an inspiring piece of art. Panoply Arts Festival is a weekend devoted to celebrating the creative side in the heart of Huntsville and Madison County.

More than 100 professional visual artists will appear in the juried Booz Allen Hamilton Art Marketplace. The festival offers hands-on STEAM activities, community art projects and theater and dance performances.

New in 2020, the small stage for Art OutLoud will celebrate the literary arts and spoken word. Individuals still can submit applications for this area. Formerly called ‘Arts Alive,’ the Art OutLoud session will focus on spoken word: poetry reading, theatrical monologues/duo scenes, comedy and excerpt readings by local authors. Because Panoply is a family-friendly event, all performance pieces need to be ‘G’ rated.

For more information, visit playbigdesign.wufoo.com/forms/z1nf6pjj1b5kspr.

Panoply hours include April 24 from 5 to 9 p.m.; April 25, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the Art Marketplace closing at 7:30 p.m.; and April 26 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Day passes cost $10, while weekend passes are $18. Children who are 12 years old and younger are admitted free.

For questions, call Events Manager Cathy Turner at 256-519-2787, ext. 105 or email cturner@artshuntsville.org.