Skipton International Puppet Festival 2025 (Thursday 16th - Sunday 19th October)
Welcome to one of England’s best celebrations of puppet theatre, the fabulous Skipton International Puppet Festival! Taking a different and streamlined form to previous years, Skipton International Puppet Festival 2025 will comprise of:
- Four days of public performances at Skipton Town Hall
- Free activities, exhibition, demonstrations and performances (outdoor performances on Sunday at the Albion Place Amphitheatre behind Skipton Town Hall and Pizza Express) – programme to be confirmed shortly! Keep an eye on our social media.
- The first ever Skipton International Puppetry Symposium (running Friday to Saturday) – a two-day gathering of puppetry professionals from the UK and beyond, featuring workshops, panels, and networking. Organised by North Yorkshire Council and funded by Arts Council England, the event focuses on sector growth, early-career support, and international collaboration. PuppeteersUK AGM (members only) to take place at Craven Arts House (Sunday).
Skipton International Puppetry Symposium and Festival Activities 2025
Exhibition
Aesthetica Art Prize 20: Defining the Future of Contemporary
Skipton Town Hall
Comedy
Skipton Comedy Live: The Edinburgh '26 Previews (June) - Dawn Bailey & Tez Ilyas
Theatre
Rapunzel (adapted from the book by Bethan Woollvin)
Music
Bradford Festival Choral Society: Vivaldi Gloria
Skipton has had a puppet festival since 1997, growing from a handful of performances to a major event in the Yorkshire region’s calendar, becoming a magnet for puppet enthusiasts.
The biennial celebration showcases puppetry from all over the UK and beyond. With a packed programme of free and ticketed performances, workshops, exhibitions and outreach projects, Skipton presents an inspirational melting pot for artists and audiences, offering exceptional puppet experiences for any age.
Skipton Town Hall has been working in partnership alongside the founders of the Festival, Lempen Puppet Theatre Company and the Puppet Festival board, in some capacity since the festival’s inception; initially through arts development and infrastructure support for outdoor performances, through to third party hire of the Town Hall venue and in-kind support, and then on to a more in-depth relationship in which Skipton Town Hall acted as Venue Partner. Skipton Town Hall now leads on the planning and delivery of the event.
Visit the links below to see the archived pages from previous festivals…
