FoolMoon lights up Kerrytown once more with “UFO” themed luminaries

ANN ARBOR, MI – Ann Arbor’s most eclectic tradition continued Friday night with the return of the FoolMoon luminary festival to Kerrytown. The event drew hundreds of guests decked out in light-up

ANN ARBOR, MI – Ann Arbor’s most eclectic tradition continued Friday night with the return of the FoolMoon luminary festival to Kerrytown.

The event drew hundreds of guests decked out in light-up costumes or bearing glowing papier-mâché luminaries. As in past years, a pair of parades led the revelers through Downtown Ann Arbor after sunset.

One of this year’s parades looped around the heart of the event at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, while the other originated at the Ann Arbor District Library’s Downtown Branch and marched down Liberty Street and up Fourth Avenue.

This year’s luminary theme was “UFOs” - the parade’s homemade glowing puppets included a model solar system, a bubble-spewing yellow submarine, dragons and other flying animals and plenty of flying saucers.

Both parades met at the entrance to the farmer’s market, which hosted live music and an assortment of light-up artwork and interactive exhibits. This year’s alien-inspired theme prompted plenty of out-of-this-world glowing displays.

Ypsianti’s Neighborhood Theater Group dressed up as glowing aliens and mimicked the movements of guests, while elsewhere a dazzling flying saucer lifted a papier-mâché cow into the air.

Musical performances included DJ Yoda the Bard and the Ypsilanti Community High School Choir, alongside entertainment in the form of nationally competitive jumprope team Jumpin’ AllStars and Revolution, the University of Michigan’s Chinese Yo-Yo team.

Assembli, the nonprofit behind the event, partnered with AADL to host luminary workshops in the weeks leading up to the event.

FestiFools, the follow-up daytime parade that normally takes place on the Sunday following FoolMoon, won’t take place this year as the organizers take a break to re-imagine the event.

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FoolMoon lights up Kerrytown once more with “UFO” themed luminaries