This summer, the streets of Nottingham will burst into life as the Nottingham Puppet Festival takes over the city centre for a spectacular day-long celebration.
On Saturday 27 June, from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm, visitors will experience a vibrant trail of free performances, interactive workshops and incredible walkabout acts stretching from Nottingham Central Library, through Albert Street and Listergate, and up to Old Market Square.
Jointly produced by City Arts and the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, the City Centre Day promises world-class puppetry accessible to all ages. The day’s packed line-up features an array of larger-than-life characters and creative storytellers spread across the city’s landmarks.
Festival Artistic Director Alison Denholm says, “We are so excited to be kicking off the 2026 Nottingham Puppet Festival with this amazing City Centre Day.
Nottingham has some beautiful open spaces in the city centre, and we are looking forward to transforming them into a free and vibrant theatre space for the day. We all know and love Market Square; from there, take a walk down Albert Street and Listergate to somewhere really special, the new Green Heart of Nottingham. Cross through this, and you get to the city’s home of stories, our Central Library. We are looking forward to filling these spaces with puppet magic, and hope to see you there!”
Crowds looking for spectacular street takeovers will find a giant Mountain Hare leaping through Listergate. In Old Market Square, audiences will meet the four-metre-tall Worker Bee and Queen Bee alongside the chaotic fun of the Wild Beasts of Silly, while Kantaben the Roller Bird brings a splash of vibrant colour high into the festival skies.
Audiences can head to the Library Plaza to meet Daniel, an ethereal 8-foot-tall man of the earth, constructed sustainably from willow and repurposed plastic bottles, as part of the Walk of the Dandelion.
While there, families can join a free drop-in craft workshop to create their own woollen dandelions and share positive messages. The day also features charming stories for all ages, with recurring performances of Penny and the Far Thing – a beautiful nature story about growth set on a genuine penny-farthing bicycle – as well as HandMade Theatre’s Puppet Petting Farm, featuring lovable characters handcrafted from recycled materials.