To celebrate 100 years of British puppetry, Coventry Puppet Festival is to be held at the Belgrade Theatre in association with the British Puppetry Guild.
The one-day festival will include live performances, hands-on workshops and variety acts showcasing the “magic, history, and humour of British puppetry”.
Highlights include performances from perennial favourites Sooty and Zippy as well as new faces including Hacker T Dog and Arthur Lager.
Magician Alec Powell said, “the British Puppet Guild, the oldest puppetry organisation in the world, celebrates its centenary this year. Our flagship event will be a puppet festival at the Belgrade. Due to the enthusiastic support of everyone at the Belgrade, for which we’re very grateful, there’ll be something for all ages during the day and evening, much of it free of charge.”
Belgrade artistic director Corey Campbell added, “we’re honoured to host the festival. With the rise of shows such as Bluey and stage shows like War Horse, puppetry has remained a focal part of the theatre and entertainment landscape and we’re excited to see where it goes next. This festival is a true celebration of creativity, tradition and fun and there really is something for everyone.”
The festival will take place on Tuesday 29 July. Full details are available at the Belgrade web site.