Squonk Brouhaha

All performances take place at on Cowles Commons

Friday, August 9 – 6:30 PM
Saturday, August 10 – 10:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 6:30 PM
Sunday, August 11 – 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM

Brouhaha is an immersive outdoor spectacle bursting with rollicking music, dazzling imagery, and the thrill of audience participation. At the center of this riotous romp is the Squonkcordion, an enormous musical instrument powered by behemoth bellows topped with towering tuba bells. At the peak of the performance, Squonk invites the audience to play this foghorn organ, welcoming them to experience the joy of a brass band and the fireworks of community. They don’t have to be musicians, but by the end of the show, we will all embrace the joy of making sounds—and the risk and camaraderie that entails.

Throughout this visual extravaganza, Squonk’s musicians add driving rhythms, vibrant keyboards, wild winds, and hypnotic guitar riffs to the Squonkcordion’s rich and brassy sound. A raucous fusion of styles, Squonk’s music ranges from propulsive and exhilarating to celebratory and majestic.

The show ends with a 30-foot head made of brilliantly colored banners, comically blinking its eyes and shooting smoke out of its ears.

Raw, loud, feel it in your body, see it in your neighbor’s face in the bright sunshine: many voices, one song.

Join the brouhaha!