Witching Hour 2020 will feature performances, readings, lectures, and discussions, from artists and thinkers pushing the boundaries of their craft in Iowa and beyond. Festival organizers have described this year’s lineup as “a volume of poignant statements about the creativity, the strength, and the tools we need to build a tenable future.”

“If there is a festival that's built to pivot in a tumultuous year, it's Witching Hour. The platform is different but the creative expression, challenging questions, and celebration of the human spirit remain. Through these amazing artists and thinkers, we look forward to better understanding the time we are living in and what wondrous futures might lie ahead,” stated Andre Perry, Witching Hour Founder and Englert Executive Director.

“While we might be going through some of the same things this year, we are all feeling them differently, and largely we are feeling them alone. Some of us are in literal isolation, and all of us are without the casual meetings we used to be able to count on in the shared spaces of our community. We needed Witching Hour to happen and to remove all barriers to attendance because as community members we felt a need to experience something together. To process together. To hold fast to each other, to affirm the progress we are fighting for around us and within us, and to brace for whatever might come next. We need everyone there for this to work, so we are making it as easy to access as possible. And we’re keeping it concise, and available to watch whenever it works for you,” said Matt Steele, Little Village Publisher and Witching Hour curator.

Witching Hour is presented in collaboration between The Englert Theatre and Little Village in Iowa City as a platform for artists, arts workers, and curious minds to unravel the subtext of who we are (our culture) and an opportunity to design who we might become.