FestiFools 2026: "Back to the FOOLture"

Sunday, April 12 from 4 to 5 pm

Main Street, Downtown Ann Arbor

Make a crazy costume, bring an old pan to bang on, or just go as you are, to help celebrate the 20th Annual FestiFools Spectacle on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor! 

This one-hour only event starts at 4 pm sharp, but there are plenty of related activities before the big event.

Saturdays: Papier-Mâché Party!

Saturdays April 4th, from 10 am to 4 pm

1239 Kipke Drive, Ann Arbor

Head to the warm and sunny FestiFools Studio for a Papier-Mâché Party Day! It's so fun to sink your hands into a bucket of warm glue and watch yourself and others transform a bunch of twisted cardboard shapes into a menagerie of giant puppets! And then there’s the thrill of seeing your work manifest in the Giant new Puppets that will appear at FestiFools on April 12th! If you’re interested, or you're just curious to check out the cool studio space filled with vestiges of Puppets from years past, please sign up here so that they know you're coming.

FoolMoon 2026 "Fools of a Feather"

Friday, April 10th from 7:30 pm to Midnight

Downtown Ann Arbor, Washington & Ashley Streets

On Friday, April 10th, FoolMoon participants gather at one of three different “Constellation Stations”: Slauson Middle School, the front lawn of UMMA, and the Kerrytown Farmers Market. Stepping off at 8 pm, the homemade luminary processionals will dance and cavort through downtown Ann Arbor, winding through neighborhoods and past restaurants. Hundreds of luminary sculptures (and their makers!) will pour onto Washington Street in front of Grizzly Peak for a Luminous Celebration of lights, LIVE music, and dancing from dusk to Midnight!

All of the Sunday Free Luminary Making Workshops slots are filled, but check out the links below if you'd like to make your own (pro tip: ACE Barnes Hardware is stocked up on luminary making supplies):

Help Make FoolMoon & FestiFools Happen!

Various times & places

You can help set up the street and decorate for FoolMoon or FestFools. The FestiFools Giant Puppets need lots of human hands to bring them to life, and you want to help animate a puppet. You can also sign up to make some noise in the parade with the "Buckettes." There are tons of ways to be a part of the action.