The Nottingham Puppet Festival is set to return for its fourth edition from Saturday 27 June to Sunday 5 July 2026. This city-wide event, an Arts Council England funded partnership between the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall and City Arts, will transform libraries, community centres, cinemas and theatres into magical spaces filled with puppets of all shapes and sizes.
A key highlight of the festival is the City Centre Day on Saturday 27 June. The heart of Nottingham will be transformed into a vibrant stage for puppetry from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Produced by the Puppet Festival Director and City Arts, and supported by It’s In Nottingham, the event features a trail of free performances and walkabouts stretching from Nottingham Central Library and Listergate, through Albert Street, and up to Old Market Square. Visitors will encounter a gentle, giant Mountain Hare leaping above the crowds, the vibrant colors of Kantaben the Roller Bird soaring through the festival skies, and kinetic sculptures including the four-metre-tall Worker Bee. Families can catch recurring shows throughout the day, including the charming bicycle-based storytelling of Penny and the Far Thing and the chaotic fun of the Wild Beasts of Silly.
Alison Denholm, Nottingham Puppet Festival Director says “We are delighted to be presenting the fourth Nottingham Puppet Festival this summer, where once again, we will bring puppets of all shapes and sizes into all sorts of spaces across our city. When we ask ourselves, ‘Why Puppets’, we keep coming back to the answer, puppets are so good at telling stories about what it is to be human. We hope this festival brings joy, magic and wonder into our every day, for children and adults alike.
Puppets will be hitting the stage across the city, including Roald Dahl’s mischievous musical The Enormous Crocodile (Theatre Royal, 2-5 July) takes over the main stage with toe-tapping tunes and a menagerie of puppets. At the Royal Concert Hall, audiences can join Robin Hood and his Animal Friends for an immersive adventure focused on teamwork and environmental care. Lakeside Arts will host Fly Away Katie, a vibrant show for younger children (ages 2–7) based on the book by Polly Dunbar. The Squire Performing Arts Centre welcomes French company La Salamandre, who will use paper-folding techniques to create the wordless, sea-faring world of Un Ocean d’Amour. Plus, Nottingham Playhouse will be hosting an Open Weekend featuring Summer In Bloom, an immersive multi-sensory experience set in the legendary land of the Magical Major Oak, plus exhibitions and workshops.
The festival is proud to partner with Bamboozle Theatre Company and Lakeside Arts, University of Nottingham to deliver inclusive programming on Sunday 5 July. Specifically designed for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), the lineup includes The River, an immersive journey meeting local wildlife, and a Family Sensory Picnic where families can socialize in a relaxed, supportive environment featuring songs and puppetry. These accessible sessions, alongside the spectacular five-metre wingspan of The Firebird walkabout, ensure that young people facing multiple access barriers can fully participate in the magic of the festival.
The festival’s adult program proves that puppetry isn’t just for kids. The line-up features the return of the award-winning Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets and Blind Summit Theatre’s The Sex Lives of Puppets, a funny and tender exploration of contemporary British sex. A programme of talks, workshops and screenings offers exclusive industry insights, including a screening of Fantastic Mr Fox at Broadway Cinema preceded by a Q&A with Stop Motion Animator Richard Pickersgill who worked on this and other films, a masterclass in film puppetry with Lucasfilm’s Martin Rezard at Nottingham Trent University’s Waverley Studio, and a deep dive into puppetry and climate activism with The Walk Productions, creators of The Herds, at Broadway Cinema.
Suzannah Bedford – CEO & Creative Director, City Arts Nottingham, says
“City Arts is proud to be a lead partner in Nottingham Puppet Festival, bringing the festival to communities across the city. Puppetry is a welcoming, accessible artform that connects people of all ages. With free events and local activity, the festival creates opportunities to take part, share experiences and enjoy high-quality arts together.
If you can’t wait for the festival to kick off in June – shows The Giant Who Slept for Ten Thousand Years, Tales from the Wheelbarrow and Anansi and the Lost Sun will tour local libraries and community centres to offer a free taster of the festival from 23 May onwards.
This year’s festival is made possible through the generous funding of Arts Council England and support from It’s In Nottingham; Liz Johnson, Midlands Area Director, Arts Council England said:
“We’re proud to support Nottingham Puppet Festival, using money from the National Lottery. This joyful celebration of puppetry and storytelling will bring people and communities together to share experiences of wonder and delight. It will animate the city centre with enjoyment, energy and colour and is a great example of how creativity and culture can help us feel happier and proud of places that we call home.”
CEO of It’s In Nottingham, Alex Flint adds;
“At It’s in Nottingham, we believe in the importance of creativity and celebrating the arts. Through performances, talks, and workshops, the Puppet Festival is a display of joy and storytelling that we are proud to support. Nottingham has a wealth of cultural venues, and the Puppet Festival is the perfect opportunity for visitors and residents alike to explore them and enjoy the vibrant city centre.”
The 2026 Nottingham Puppet Festival promises to be the most ambitious yet, turning Nottingham’s streets and stages into a vibrant landscape of imagination and storytelling. Head to nottinghampuppetfestival.co.uk for the full line up.
Posted on 06 May 2026
