Granfalloon 2024 Schedule
Granfalloon takes place across multiple weeks at multiple venues around the IU Campus, Bloomington, and Indianapolis. Below is a schedule of everything that’s going on during the festival. Please note that, while most festival events are free, some are ticketed.
Watch this space! More info and details to be announced over the coming weeks!
Music and Theatre Performances
Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 6:30pm | Sunday @ 2pm
Starting Location: City Hall, 401 N Morton St, Bloomington, IN
Ending Location: Courthouse Square, 100 W Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Written and Directed by Annalise Cain
Starring David Davila
Join us for the Spectacularly Inaccurate Tour of Bloomington, a hilarious theatrical walking tour led by Bloomington's most enthusiastic, if overzealous, self-appointed guide. Bart Katz has lived in Bloomington his whole life, and he doesn’t understand why we don’t attract more tourism than our sister cities, like New York or London! Get ready to see Bloomington in a whole new, if maybe exaggerated, light as Bart takes you through the nooks and crannies of our beloved town.
Event Begins @ 6:30pm
Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library - 543 Indiana Ave, Indianapolis, IN
A Vonnegut-themed night of music featuring performances from Wampus Milk Daddies, Vonnegut Hardware, and Billy Pilgrim * The Earthlings
Event Begins @ 7pm, 21+
A Vonnegut-themed kick-off to the final festival week!
The Back Door - 207 South College Avenue, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Performances @ 7pm, 21+
The Orbit Room - 107 N. College Ave, Bloomington, IN
The Granfalloon Festival is excited to partner with Cosmic Songwriter for a June showcase featuring local songwriters.
Free event! Reserve your table here.
Performances @ 9pm, 18+
The Bishop Bar - 123 S. Walnut St., Bloomington, IN
Come experience a one-act cabaret performance of the music from Stephen Sondheim’s most controversial musical as performed by IU Musical Theatre. The bar will be open!
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Book by John Weidman
Directed by Ray Fellman | Music Direction by Brandon Magid
Free event!
Performances @ 6pm & 8pm (two sets)
The Orbit Room - 107 N. College Ave, Bloomington, IN
Musicians and IU Bloomington alums Anna Butterss and Ben Lumsdaine will perform two jazz sets at The Orbit room.
Free event! Reserve your table here.
Performance @ 7pm
Buskirk-Chumley Theater - 114 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
2024 marks the 42nd. anniversary of Young@Heart, the world’s pre-eminent octogenarian rock ‘n’ roll chorus. Started in 1982 as an informal sing-along at a Western Massachusetts meals site for the elderly, it has grown into a stereotype-defying, globetrotting musical extravaganza. From The New York Times to TIME, The Tonight Show to The Ellen Show and stars of the Fox Searchlight Top 50 all-time documentary, Young@Heart, this diverse group of seniors, ranging in age from 75-94 has over 50 international tours under its belt. From Northampton to New Zealand, Europe to Japan and featured in E*Trade’s acclaimed Super Bowl ad This Is Getting Old (2018), Young@Heart continues to wow audiences worldwide. Since 2014, they’ve worked with incarcerated singers in two local prisons at weekly rehearsals and concerts through their PrisonVision program. In their Mash-Up concerts, they collaborate with the best youth performance groups, including Staten Island’s PS22 Chorus, Chicago Children’s Choir, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. During the pandemic, they pivoted to virtual rehearsals and produced 5 highly acclaimed full-length virtual concerts with appearances by Edie Falco, Steve Buscemi, David Byrne, Larry David, Lilly Tomlin, Cybill Shepherd, and others. During this time, they also produced dozens of music videos and released Miss You, their fourth album to date, garnering features on CNN and CBS Sunday Morning. Back on stage in 2022, the chorus celebrated their 40th Anniversary with a live show and a film that received a New England Emmy in 2022. This past November they created the show “Twist and Crawl” which featured a wide range of dancers including, salsa, hip hop, Irish step, tap, cumbia and 60’s go-go.
Performances @ 11am-4pm
Courthouse Square - 100 W Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Enjoy performances by community groups at the southeast corner of the Monroe County Courthouse while you peruse the Bloomington Handmade Market!
11am - Becky Sprinkle
12pm - IU Jacobs Jazz Trio
1pm - Cosmic Songwriter Showcase
2pm - Kaia Kater (in partnership with Bloomington Roots)
3pm - The GirlsRock Bloomington Granfalloon showcase will feature performances from camper band The Sera-Tones and Founder/Director Amy O
Performance @ 5pm
200 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
The Granfalloon Main Stage Concert will take place outdoors on East Kirkwood Avenue and feature musical performances by Sleater-Kinney, The Linda Lindas, and My Son the Hurricane.
Event Begins @ 10pm, 21+
The Bishop Bar - 123 S. Walnut St, Bloomington, IN
Cap off the Granfalloon Festival with some fun hangs and karaoke!
Free event!
Event Begins @ 10pm, 21+
Come by the bar to sip a drink, hang on the patio, and dance!!
The Back Door - 207 South College Avenue, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Thematic Talks and Panels
Event begins @ 6pm
Hopscotch Coffee - 235 W Dodds St., Bloomington, IN
Meet and mingle with local artists and hear remarks from the recipients of the inaugural Granfalloon Art Project Grant program.
Free event!
Event @ 7pm
WonderLab Museum - 308 W. 4th Street, Bloomington, IN
Kick off Granfalloon at WonderLab! For this year’s Kurt Vonnegut Convergence, dive into the themes around Jailbird. Learn about the secular saints of the scientific world, from the past to the present, and engage with other guests in nuanced discussions on the impacts of these scientific individuals. Guest speakers will inspire curiosity and further learning on anarchy in science. Enjoy light refreshments and adult beverages while you meet new people and learn together.
Allison Duerk, Executive Director of the Eugene V. Debs Museum, will present on Debs’s influence on Vonnegut, their similarities, compares the current labor struggles to the past’s, and what another century of progress and struggle will reveal. She will be using Vonnegut’s Eugene V. Debs Award acceptance speech, Stars and Bit Players, to highlight Kurt Vonnegut’s contemporary views with Debs, and compare the state of the working class between the two time periods. Discuss with Allison the current struggles of the working class today, how a pandemic influenced Labor and the workplace, new industries, and progress within unions.
Event @ 5pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free Event!
Join us for a talk + Q&A with Pat LaMarche at the Gayle Karch Cook Center.
Pat LaMarche is an educator, journalist, and broadcaster who has successfully managed business and charitable organizations and is well known for her innovative approach to public service. Pat spent decades as a broadcaster turned homeless advocate. After years of reporting on poverty around the globe and here at home, Pat went to work with the nation’s most forgotten and least understood. Pat dabbled in broad spectrum social change, culminating in a 2004 run for Vice President of the United States.
Event @ 5pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free Event!
Join us for a discussion with painter Nanette Vonnegut and a celebration of her exhibition Bad Math at the Gayle Karch Cook Center.
Event @ 7pm
Buskirk-Chumley Theater - 114 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
Few journalists have had the impact on history and their craft as Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Carl Bernstein. From uncovering the Watergate scandal with Bob Woodward to writing about national and international affairs for half a century, Bernstein’s books, reporting and commentary have revealed the hidden workings of government and politics around the world.
Bernstein’s important on-air reporting and commentary on Donald Trump for CNN has been widely recognized for continuing the kind of work he and Bob Woodward pioneered during the Nixon presidency.
In 1973, Woodward and Bernstein were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their Watergate coverage at The Washington Post, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon and setting new standards for investigative journalism. The pair went on to write two classic best-sellers: All the President’s Men (also a movie starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman); and The Final Days, chronicling the end of the Nixon presidency.
Bernstein’s recently released book, Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom, became an instant New York Times bestseller, receiving extraordinary attention and praise in reviews throughout the United States and Europe. In it, Bernstein recounts his earliest days in journalism at the Washington Evening Star newspaper, where he began his career during the Kennedy era as a 16-year-old copyboy. The roots of his Watergate reporting can be seen in this remarkable apprenticeship as a teenage reporter in the nation’s capital.
Bernstein’s other best-selling books demonstrate his unique range as a journalist: Loyalties: A Son’s Memoir, about his family’s experiences in the McCarthy era; His Holiness: Pope John Paul II and The History of Our Time – a biography of Pope John Paul II – that revealed the Pope’s pivotal role in the fall of communism; and A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary RodhamClinton, acclaimed as the definitive biography on the subject.
His magazine articles have appeared in Time, USA Today, Rolling Stone and The New Republic. From 1999-2001, Bernstein served as editor and executive vice president of Voter.com, a pioneering website that Forbes named the best political site on the internet. He has worked as Washington bureau chief and correspondent for ABC News; and, while at the Washington Post, was also a part-time rock critic.
Bernstein lives in New York with his wife, Christine Kuehbeck, and is the father of two sons, Jacob Bernstein, a reporter for the New York Times; and Max Bernstein, who plays guitar for Taylor Swift.
Event @ 5pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free Event!
Join us for this memorial event with readings, film clips, tributes, and offerings at the Cook Center's Kurt Vonnegut Altar.
Literary Readings and Discussions
Discussion @ 6:30-8pm, 21+
Morgenstern's Books - 849 S Auto Mall Road, Bloomington, IN
Free Event! RSVPs Required.
Join Monroe County Public Library and Granfalloon for the May edition of Books On Tap. It's the book club with a twist! Enjoy fantastic drinks, a comfortable atmosphere, and a great discussion on a variety of compelling books. This month, we’ll be celebrating the upcoming Granfalloon by reading Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.
Discussion @ 6:30-8pm
Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library - 543 Indiana Ave, Indianapolis, IN
Free Event!
Join Indiana Humanities, Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, and IU Arts and Humanities Council for a thoughtful discussion of Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut. The event will start with a panel discussion with experts on themes found in the novel and will then open up to a discussion with the audience.
Reading @ 7pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free Event!
Authors and more details to be announced soon! Learn more about the IU Writers' Conference here.
Reading @ 7pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free Event!
Authors and more details to be announced soon! Learn more about the IU Writers' Conference here.
Talk + Discussion @ 12pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center, 750 East Kirkwood Avenue
Free event!
A free and fun way to bookend the festival! Join us for an enlightening talk by scholar Christina Jarvis about Vonnegut’s novel, Jailbird, followed by an open conversation about the novel.
Reading @ 7pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free Event!
Authors and more details to be announced soon! Learn more about the IU Writers' Conference here.
Film Screenings
Screening @ 7:30pm
Buskirk-Chumley Theater - 114 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
The Buskirk-Chumley Theater presents Young@Heart (2007) in anticipation of the group's performance at the theater on June 7th. This 2007 documentary follows Young@Heart – a chorus of twenty-four senior citizens with an average age of eighty - as they prepare for a concert in their hometown of Northampton, Massachusetts and a European tour learning new songs by the likes of Sonic Youth, James Brown, Allen Toussaint, Coldplay, Jimi Hendrix, Talking Heads, and Prince.
Screening @ 7pm
Buskirk-Chumley Theater - 114 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
The Buskirk-Chumley Theater presents All the President's Men (1976) in anticipation of Carl Bernstein's visit to the theater on June 6th.
All the President's Men is an American political drama about the Watergate scandal that brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon.
It is based on the 1974 non-fiction book of the same name by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists investigating the scandal for the Washington Post. The film stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein and won 4 Oscars among numerous other awards.
Screening @ 7pm, 18+
The Orbit Room - 107 N. College Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Cicada Cinema presents Female Prisoner Scorpion (1972) as part of the Granfalloon Film Series.
Screening @ 9pm
Bryan Park - 1001 S Henderson Street, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Bloomington Parks and Recreation a presents Holes (2003) as part of the Granfalloon Film Series and the Movies in the Park Series.
Screening @ 7pm
Backspace Gallery - 112 W 6th St., Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Cicada Cinema presents Secret Honor (1984) as part of the Granfalloon Film Series. Professor Gerry Lanosga, Director of Journalism at IU Media School, will introduce the film.
Screening @ 7pm
IU Cinema – 1213 E 7th Street, Bloomington, IN
Kan-Kan Cinema – 1258 Windsor Street, Indianapolis, IN
Free but ticketed at both locations. Get tickets here.
Indie to Indy Screening: IU Cinema and Indianapolis' Kan-Kan Cinema present this screening as part of the Granfalloon Film Series. The film will screen in both locations simultaneously and include a live audience-to-audience component prior to the start of the film.
Screening @ 4pm
IU Cinema – 1213 E 7th Street, Bloomington, IN
Kan-Kan Cinema – 1258 Windsor Street, Indianapolis, IN
Free but ticketed at both locations. Get tickets here.
Indie to Indy Screening: IU Cinema and Indianapolis' Kan-Kan Cinema present this screening as part of the Granfalloon Film Series. The film will screen in both locations simultaneously and include a live audience-to-audience component prior to the start of the film.
Screening @ 7pm
IU Cinema – 1213 E 7th Street, Bloomington, IN
Kan-Kan Cinema – 1258 Windsor Street, Indianapolis, IN
Free but ticketed at both locations. Get tickets here.
Indie to Indy Screening: IU Cinema and Indianapolis' Kan-Kan Cinema present this screening as part of the Granfalloon Film Series. The film will screen in both locations simultaneously and include a live audience-to-audience component prior to the start of the film.
Screening @ 9pm
Butler Park - 812 W. 9th Street, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Cicada Cinema presents Perfect Days as part of the Granfalloon Film Series.
Screenings from 10am - 4pm
Buskirk-Chumley Theater - 114 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Stop in to beat the heat or make it an all day event! Either way, join us for a triple feature of family friendly films as part of the Granfalloon Film Series. This event is free an unticketed. Everyone is welcome!
10am - Chicken Run (2000)
12pm - Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
2pm - Paddington 2 (2017)
Art Exhibitions and Events
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
100 Suite, Monday through Friday from 12-4pm
The Kurt Vonnegut Altar was designed and executed by Keith L. Andrews while living in Guatemala with the assistance of local artisans and assistants. In December, the altar travelled from Andrews' home in Tallahassee, Florida to live at the Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts & Humanities.
All the quality resin figures were cast from clay figures that were hand sculpted and painted by Andrews. In addition, there are 14 laser-etched and hand-painted acrylic plaques and half a dozen objects that were hand-crafted in other materials.
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
Process Gallery, Monday through Friday from 12-4pm
Bad Math is a collection of 38 paintings in various forms, all by Nanette Vonnegut. On the cusp of her "sunset years", Nanette is bowing to her muses.
Nanette Vonnegut was born the youngest of six on Cape Cod in 1954 and was "raised by wolves".
After graduating with a BFA in Printmaking from R.I.S.D., she settled in Northampton, Massachusetts and raised a family while exhibiting her work locally and elsewhere, including New York City. Her illustrations have been featured in The New Yorker, The Massachusetts Review, Pakn Treger and American Educator.
In her words, "trauma, grief and rage are all best dealt with using soft pencil on thick paper that can take a lot of erasing".
This exhibit will be available to view Monday through Friday from 12-4pm in the Cook Center's Process Gallery from May 20th though July 3rd.
Gayle Karch Cook Center - 750 East Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN
First Floor Display Cases, Monday through Friday from 12-4pm
The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis, in partnership with the Granfalloon Festival, is pleased to bring you this exhibition based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1979 novel Jailbird. A tale of rampant greed, political corruption, and bizarre, random accidents of fate, the novel was well received by critics, prompting Vonnegut to give it an A rating in his later autobiography, Palm Sunday. This exhibition explores not only Jailbird but also Vonnegut’s thoughts on the novel’s themes, relevant both before and after 1979.
Event @ 5-8pm
Gayle Karch Cook Center, 750 E Kirkwood Ave (other locations list here)
Free Event!
Stop by the Gayle Karch Cook Center during the June Gallery Walk! This month’s exhibits will include three exhibitions presented as part of Granfalloon and will include a talk with artist Keith L. Andrews and curator Chris LaFave.
Market from 10am – 4pm
Courthouse Square - 100 W Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN
Free event!
Bloomington Handmade Market is Bloomington's best indie craft show experience featuring independent makers from across the Midwest. The Summer Fair will be held in conjunction with the Granfalloon on June 8th from 10am-4pm on and around the Courthouse Square in downtown Bloomington.