Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival returns

The 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest of its kind in North America and will return January 18-29, 2023 at venues large and small throughout the city.

For 12 consecutive days, the festival will delight young and old with over 100 performances of contemporary puppet acts and artists from ten countries – Brazil, Canada, Czechia, Finland, France, Norway, Japan, South Africa, Spain and the United States – namely New York, Boston and, of course, Chicago. There will be workshops, performances, tours and more--all surrounding the ancient art of puppetry.

At Navy Pier, for instance, guests can enjoy a family-friendly puppetry production in partnership with The Free Neighborhood Tour with Little Uprisings. The performance, My Night in the Planetarium, is based on the award-winning book by Innosanto Nagara, a graphic artist and acclaimed author/illustrator of “A Is for Activist” and “Counting on Community.” Nagara tells his own true story of facing dictatorship and oppression in his childhood in Indonesia. It is a child’s view of a particular place and time—but it is also an introduction to Indonesia, a story about colonialism, and a message about the power of creativity.

The Free Neighborhood Tour fosters an appreciation for puppetry throughout the city by bringing free, family-friendly performances to locations throughout Chicago, most often in areas where people may have not had the chance to experience puppetry. Seats are first come, first served. Performances are free and open to all ages. (12pm and 2pm on Saturday, Jan. 21)

(Click here to find ALL event listings/locations/workshops/dates and times:  https://chicagopuppetfest.org/)

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