Open Streets Knoxville: 2-6pm (N. Central from Emory Place to Oklahoma Ave)

This year's parade is part of Open Streets Knoxville, a free event that encourages the use of active transportation (walking, biking, rollerblading, and more), promotes healthy living, and gives participants an opportunity to reimagine our streets as public space! Sections of N. Central St. and Emory Place will be closed to vehicular traffic and filled with art & play activities for all ages, food trucks, and more from 2-6pm. The Cattywampus Parade will kick off at 3pm and process along the Open Streets route, concluding at the corner of N. Central & Baxter Ave with a Block Party from 3:30-6pm, featuring local hip-hop, drumming, dance, a giant puppet skit, and more. You don't wanna miss it!

You can drop off parade art and your crew in the St. John's Lutheran Church parking lot, accessed via N. Broadway. This lot will be our staging area for the Parade. There is free street parking available throughout the area except along N. Central, which will be closed from 1-6pm from Emory Pl to Oklahoma Ave. There is also parking available along W. Magnolia Ave in the lots underneath I40.

If you are registering as a group (i.e. school, business, neighborhood, or community organization), please give us a rough estimate of how many folks will be in your parade crew. We will send out periodic emails as the parade draws closer and ask that you be responsible for communicating this information and any other parade details to the rest of your group. Please check in at the parade info tent before lining up for the parade.

PARADE GUIDELINES

• Everyone must be in costume, including parents and staff accompanying children.
• Children under 15 must be accompanied by someone older.
• All entries must be handmade and people powered. Motorized vehicles (other than wheelchairs) and live animals (other than working animals) are not permitted.
• We believe that all human and non-human beings deserve dignity and respect. We ask that all of your entries respect and reflect this belief.  If you have questions about your entry in regards to this guideline, please feel free to contact us directly and ask. Cattywampus reserves the right to prohibit parade participation if any of your creations violate this guideline.
• As this is a family event, nudity or any lewd content is prohibited.
• No distribution of leaflets or flyers during the parade or along the parade route.
• All parade participants participate at their own risk. Written waivers are required.
• All parade entries must emphasize SAFETY. Please make sure your creation has good visibility, is easy to operate and control, and is safe for other parade participants to move around. Remember, we will be parading in the outdoors, so consider wind when you are building.  

Cattywampus Puppet Council seeks to strengthen community and achieve peace and justice through creating and playing together. We hold diversity itself as a value and nurture awareness of true community by welcoming people of differing races, ethnic origins, cultures, genders, ages, abilities, languages, economic and social backgrounds, sexualities, gender identities and expressions, political beliefs and religions, family styles and nationalities. We aim to create a safe, accepting and respectful environment where we can learn and grow together, honoring and embracing our individual and collective humanity.