NEWCASTLE PUPPETRY FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR FIRST CITY-WIDE EVENT AFTER PANDEMIC

A world-famous festival dedicated to the art of puppetry is set to come to Newcastle for the fourth time this spring.

The Newcastle Puppetry Festival will run from April 8 -16 2023, marking its first full-scale return since the pandemic.

Produced by Moving Parts Arts CIO, the festival will feature a wide range of free and ticketed puppetry events, workshops and performances at venues across Newcastle.

Spanning 9 days at indoor and outdoor venues across the city, the 2023 programme has shows, workshops, talks and films for adults, kids, teens and families, as well as art lovers and budding puppeteers.

Within the city centre itself, performances, workshops and exhibitions will take place on Northumberland Street and in Newcastle Arts Centre on Westgate Road, as well as in and around Dance City.

The puppetry magic continues into Ouseburn, with events taking place at The Cluny, Seven Stories and Ouseburn Farm throughout the week.

The festival attracts 10,000 people with each edition, a bubbling mixture of local residents, people from around the region and visitors from all corners of the world. The 2019 festival welcomed puppetry enthusiasts from five continents.

Moving Parts Arts artistic director and co-founder, Kerrin Tatman, commented: “After such a difficult period for live events, we are so excited to be back and bigger than ever for our 4th edition of the festival. 

“We’ve tried our best to include something for everyone this year. Puppetry is not just for children and there are lots of adult shows and workshops on offer, as well as for kids and families. 

“I am most excited for JOE 5 by Duda Paiva Company from the Netherlands, taking place at Dance City on the April 15. A bubbling mixture of dance, puppetry and mapped projections, this otherworldly adult show and UK premiere is the most ambitious performance we have ever brought to Newcastle.”