Purdue Convocations Announces Free Musical Performances in West Lafayette and Indianapolis

A marching band in colorful uniforms plays brass instruments energetically on stage, with trombone and saxophone players leaning forward in unison during one of the free musical performances presented by Purdue Convocations in West Lafayette.
August 17, 2026 Beth Wagner

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – Purdue Convocations is excited to announce that Chicago’s wildly exuberant marching band Mucca Pazza will bring its free, genre-bending musical spectacle to both Purdue campuses this September as part of Purdue’s Weeks of Welcome. The band will perform throughout Purdue West Lafayette on Thursday, September 10, and Purdue University in Indianapolis on Wednesday, September 9. Performance times and locations will be announced closer to the event dates.

Get ready to hear Mucca Pazza before you see them—and then prepare for just about anything. This merry band of musical misfits turns the traditional marching band on its head with original compositions inspired by everything from surf rock to Stravinsky, all delivered with a wildly colorful visual flair.

Expect brightly mismatched thrift-store costumes, absurdist cheerleaders, and an improbable collection of instruments including electric guitars, accordions, violins, and even a cello. Fusing DIY punk aesthetics, Balkan brass, and marching-band maximalism, Mucca Pazza creates an irresistibly danceable celebration of the wonderfully weird.

A beloved fixture of Chicago’s underground music scene since 2004, Mucca Pazza has performed everywhere from Lollapalooza and Lincoln Center to the Montreal Jazz Festival and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series. At Purdue, the band will roam campus and pop up in unexpected spaces, bringing its infectious energy directly to students and the Purdue community.

Part of Purdue’s Weeks of Welcome, these free performances offer students a chance to encounter live music in the middle of their campus experience—and give the general public an invitation to join the fun. Whether you’re a longtime fan of marching bands or have never heard anything quite like Mucca Pazza, this is one campus takeover you won’t want to miss.

More details and the latest updates can be found at convocations.purdue.edu/event/mucca-pazza for the West Lafayette performances and convocations.purdue.edu/event/mucca-pazza-indy for Purdue Indianapolis.

Journalists: please visit our Press page for additional photos.

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