Get ready for one of the most unique public art spectacles of the year.
On September 18 and 19, a massive herd of 40 life-sized buffalo puppets will take over the streets of Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.
They will be roaming, grazing, and running wild right alongside everyday pedestrians—and you are invited to join the march!
An interactive public art experience
This historic two-day event is part of Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi. Conceived by Amir Nizar Zuabi in partnership with elders from the Lenape and Lakota communities, it is officially the largest interactive public art experience in the country this year.
The spectacle aims to tell the story of our national mammal. The buffalo is a powerful symbol of resilience, reckoning, and repair, having been brought back from the brink of extinction thanks largely to Native peoples and their conservationist allies.
If the creative team sounds familiar, it’s because they are the exact same minds behind Little Amal—the 12-foot-tall refugee girl puppet that captivated New York City during her 10-day walk back in 2022.
A star-studded lineup of performances
Join the wild herd
During these two historic walks, over 150 volunteer puppeteers will maneuver the incredibly lifelike creations built from recycled materials by the South African collective Ukwanda Puppets.
As the herd stops at locations of historic significance, the surrounding parks, plazas, and squares will completely transform with live performances. The newly announced lineup is absolutely stacked.
You can expect appearances by five-time Academy Award nominee Sam Waterston, acclaimed opera singer Davóne Tines, Laurie Anderson, Rhiannon Giddens, and actor Chaske Spencer.
They will be joined by over a hundred performers including the Native Pride Dancers, Pilobolus, the Resistance Revival Chorus, and the Fogo Azul marching band, acting alongside First Nations tribal elders and civic leaders.
When and where to see the march
The beautiful events are completely free and open to the public. Here is exactly where you can join the stampede this fall:
- Friday, September 18 (Lower Manhattan): The herd will march from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM. The route begins at Bowling Green Park (with a welcome from Lenape elders), travels up Broadway with musical stops at Federal Hall and Zuccotti Park, and officially ends the day in Foley Square.
- Saturday, September 19 (Downtown Brooklyn): The procession runs from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. It travels from Abolitionist Place to Brooklyn Borough Hall, moving toward the Brooklyn Promenade (where Sam Waterston will perform Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”), and concludes at the Harbor View Lawn in Brooklyn Bridge Park.