Last year saw the Benefactors of Preservation Pub/Scruffy City Hall inaugurate a brand new festival hereabouts, the Funny Ears Fringe Festival, a three-day onslaught of stellar, though mostly local performers and bands. It was good first start, but it was only a start. This year’s edition of FEFF promises to be all that and a bag of chips, with the addition of a several weird and wonderful acts from all over the U.S., in addition to the expected roster of popular local faves.

The festival is beginning to find its footing thematically, too. Last year’s event was something of an all-comers affair, with a lineup peppered with plenty of sterling straight-up rock acts, in addition to a handful of shall-we-say more offbeat performers as well. This year is skewed even more toward the offbeat. Because as much as we love us some good old-fashioned Rawk with no chaser, sometimes you just gotta see a band of life-sized puppets playing spastic progressive pop.

That being a reference to Chattanoogan Nick Lutsko, who is artist-in-residence at this year’s fest, playing two nights out of four with his four-piece outfit. Lutsko’s last show at Scruffy City Hall a month or so back went over like gangbusters, as did that of Boston’s Little War Twins, a Boston-based two-piece that will take the Scruffy City stage Thursday, March 31, the first night of the festival.

Some other highlights of the four-day fest include Knoxville’s Hudson K (March 27); NYC duo Hank and Cupcakes; and Chattanooga roots-punk outfit Strung Like a Horse (April 1 – no joke!). And that’s just a short list.

Maybe there’s something else you’d rather be doing with your time the extended weekend of March 31 through April 3, but for the life of us, we can’t figure out what that something else would be. Don’t miss.

Funny Ears Fringe Festival will take place March 31 to April 3 at both Preservation Pub and Scruffy City Hall.