Event | UVA Arts

Embark on a magical journey at the Stan Winston & Steven Warner Festival of the Moving Creature! Join the menagerie of mythical entourages of two giant creatures roaming & bringing joy to UVA Grounds!

Designed, built, and puppeteered by UVA’s Art of the Moving Creature class, the creatures will come to life to parade through central Grounds and end with a dance party where you can celebrate into the night alongside this captivating pair. The Festival starts at 7PM and ends at 10PM on UVA Arts Grounds adjacent to Culbreth Road with a parade loop to the Rotunda around sunset.

Creatures first came to Grounds in 2013, and new designs return this year to honor the festival’s namesakes Stan Winston, Hollywood special effects legend and UVA alum, and late UVA Drama Assistant Professor Steven Warner, a co-founder of the original festival and longtime teacher of the Creature class. This Festival is sponsored by UVA Arts, The Jefferson Trust, an initiative of the UVA Alumni Association, the Stan Winston School of Character Arts, the UVA Department of Drama, and the UVA School of Architecture.

Come to one of our special pre-festival events to unleash your inner designer and craft your very own beastly embellishment as one of our creature’s entourages. Whether a wearable headpiece or black light lantern, we invite all UVA community members to join us on April 12 (11-3 at The UVA Drama scene shop) and Charlottesville/Albemarle community members on April 20 (11-3 at Live Arts) to come to this workshop and make a piece to parade alongside the creatures and add a splash of magic to the spectacle of mythical marvels!

Check our social media pages for more details and updates! Don't miss this unforgettable night of wonder and excitement at the SW^2 Festival of the Moving Creature!