Bob Baker Day to bring healing (and SpongeBob) to 25,000 puppet lovers in L.A.

The all-things-puppetry extravaganza that is the yearly Bob Baker Day astatine Chinatown’s Los Angeles State Historic Park has landed connected its themes and parade-leading expansive marshal for its 2025 edition, acceptable for April 13. Animated characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star volition motorboat the festivities astatine 10 a.m. with a parade that volition span the grounds.

The “SpongeBob SquarePants” stars are not the archetypal animated characters to pb the processional. Back successful 2023, Pinocchio from Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning movie led the walkaround. SpongeBob volition beryllium joined by Logan Hone and his Feel Good Music Train, Tierra Del Sol’s large-scale puppets, and East Wind Foundation’s Chinese dragon and accepted percussion band. Last year’s expansive marshal was puppet maestro Sid Krofft, 1 fractional of Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures.

The day, presented by Highland Park’s Bob Baker Marionette Theater, volition extremity with a closing show from David Arquette arsenic Bozo the Clown, the long-running, good-natured children’s amusement big that roseate to fame successful the 1950s and was a staple for decades connected Chicago’s WGN-TV. Other performers see the Heart of Los Angeles’ Eisner Intergenerational Big Band, Pacific Opera Project, Maylee Todd, Inner City Arts, Metropolitan Water District, Scribble, Johnny Kosmo, Freak Nature Puppets, Skirball Cultural Center and Sage Against the Machine.

Arts and crafts are a centerpiece of the yearly event, and that volition beryllium nary antithetic this year, with an accent connected healing via the arts successful the aftermath of the caller L.A. wildfires. The taxable of this year’s lawsuit volition beryllium what Bob Baker Day is calling “Recovery done the Arts.” An country dubbed “Hooray L.A. Village” volition big a assortment of section institutions, nonprofits, and arts and taste organizations, with a absorption connected escaped creation activities, younker intelligence wellness services and storytelling programs.

826LA, which focuses connected after-school and tutoring programs, volition pb a book-making task portion Craft Contemporary volition assistance guests make their ain manus puppet. The Getty Museum volition big a mask-making store and Corita Art Center volition beryllium connected manus for programs centered astir processing grief.

“In the days pursuing the devastating fires which impacted truthful galore successful our city, we asked ourselves, ‘What tin we bash to help?’ Right away, we realized that our relation was to bash what we bash champion — supply respite, moments of joy, and creativity during a hard time. We wanted to grow connected this work during our yearly festival, and invitation our arts and taste partners to articulation us,” says Mary Fagot, co-executive manager of the theater.

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater expects astir 25,000 guests to be this year’s event.

Bob Baker Day started successful 2015 arsenic a commemoration of institution laminitis Baker, who passed distant the erstwhile year. The all-day lawsuit serves arsenic a mode to observe some Baker’s day and his legacy. Bob Baker Day is free, and scheduled to tally 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.