Beverley Puppet Festival

06/03/2026

It is with great sadness that we share some difficult news. Unfortunately, our Arts Council funding application for the 12th Beverley Puppet Festival was not successful... But we are grateful to Arts Council England for being the main funders of the last 10 festivals. As a result of this year's decision, we are unable to go ahead with the festival that we were hoping to present for 17-19 July 2026.

This is deeply disappointing for everyone involved. A huge amount of work had already gone into planning an exciting programme featuring 25 companies, 3 venues, the town streets and Outreach visits to 10 schools - all ready to bring the Festival to life this summer.

The Beverley Puppet Festival was founded in 2005 and run biennially from 2006 to 2024. To all the funders, staff, artists, partners, volunteers, venues, stakeholders and audiences who have supported the project over the past 21 years: Thank You from the bottom of our hearts. We are incredibly grateful for your enthusiasm and commitment, and we are truly sorry that we cannot move forward as planned.

A press release will follow shortly - please bear with us - outlining a possible plan for the future. Thank you again for being part of the journey with us. It's been awesome. If you can, please kindly take a few minutes to respond to our survey: https://forms.gle/cstCCAZsR3MkTUAF6

Anna Ingleby - Founder & Artistic Co-director
Vicky Yannoula - Production Co-director

[Image: Breathe, by Half a String]

19/12/2025

Happy festive season everyone!
Our provisional festival schedule is complete and all applicants have been contacted.... We are now awaiting funding news and hope that we have good news next year 🤞

01/09/2025

📣 ARTIST CALL-OUT: BEVERLEY PUPPET FESTIVAL 17-19 JULY 2026

We are currently working on the 12th edition of the Beverley Puppet Festival which we hope to be able to present from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 July 2026. The 2026 festival will most likely be of a smaller scale than the previous one which took place in July 2024. As per all previous years, the festival is subject to funding.

Please complete the application form via the link below to express your interest in participating as an artist.

⏰ The application deadline is 30 September 2025. We look forward to hearing from you!

We believe that removing barriers in the creative industries only makes it stronger. This is why we always run open artist call-outs for our festival programming and always widely advertise any commissions and opportunities that we can offer as part of our projects.

12/03/2025

Artist applications are open with our friends at Newcastle Puppetry Festival! Details in the post below...

📣 Artist applications open for Newcastle Puppetry Festival 2026!
Apply here: https://www.movingpartsarts.com/artists

Yes, it's that weird time of year again...when we still haven't delivered the 2025 festival, but are seeking acts for 2026!

Prospective dates (funding dependent) are 4th - 12th April 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

We are seeking:
- Indoor stage shows for adults and teens
- Indoor stage shows for children and families
- Indoor stage shows for early years children
- Outdoor roaming walkabout acts
- Outdoor shows
- Cabaret acts and sideshow oddities
- Masterclasses and workshops
- Other / miscellaneous puppetry wonderfulness!

Please note that we are a puppetry festival and book work that features puppetry, and/or object theatre, stop motion animation, kinetic art and automata. We are unlikely to book physical theatre or circus acts which do not include puppetry.

We pay all artists and companies to present work at the festival and cover travel, food and accommodation on top. You will be asked to provide a quote in the application.

​We are especially keen to hear from artists who consider themselves from underrepresented groups within the creative industries workforce, including disabled artists, Global Majority artists and those from working class backgrounds.

Deadline for applications: Monday 7th April 2025, 11pm UK time

Photo is 'Arachnobot' by Tim Davies Design, taken by Von Fox Promotions

07/02/2025

Check out the trailer from our friends at Moving Parts Arts
The 6th Newcastle Puppetry Festival (UK) will take place 19th - 27th April 2025
Browse / book tickets: www.movingpartsarts.com
Full trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUP7yd7JwwI
A week of shows, workshops, talks, films and outdoor theatre for adults, teens, children and families. A mixture of ticketed and free events.

13/01/2025

Newcastle Puppetry Festival has announced their programme for 19th - 27th April 2025 - check out what's on here: https://www.movingpartsarts.com/whatson

16/10/2024

Some lovely pics by Loki's Lens Photography of the festival back in July 📸

21/09/2024

Don't miss Little Amal in Pearson Park, Hull this Sunday!

20/09/2024

We've finally had some time to decompress and carry out the evaluation of the festival. A huge thank you to everyone who donated to our collection buckets on the festival weekend - we raised £455.17 towards the costs of the festival. A massive thanks to our team of 60 volunteers!

Also a big thank you to everyone who filled out the audience survey - the name that was picked out of the hat to win 2 x festival passes to the 2026 festival (funding dependent) was Rumayna, who has been contacted.

Thanks everyone - we're keeping our puppet strings crossed to be back in 2026!

Photo: Abbie Jennings

19/08/2024

The 11th Beverley Puppet Festival
Produced by Puppets in Beverley Ltd.
Summary video by Astor Film Productions Ltd

Festival Team
Artistic Co-Director & Founder: Anna Ingleby
Artistic Co-Director: Kerrin Tatman
Trainee Festival Director / Co-Operations Manager: Vicky Yannoula
Co-Operations Manager: Megan Browne
Marketing & PR Officer: Julian Woodford
Box Office & Customer Services: Andrew Aldis
Participation Officer: Wendy Holroyd
Outreach Officer: Bridget Coggin-Thomson
Festival Technical Manager: Chris Broadwell
Brochure & Print Designer: Gordon Meredith
Brochure & Print Coordinator: Bev Richmond
App Designer: Joe Hall
Videography: Kris Bilski / Astor Film Productions
Additional Videography: Darren Squires
Photography: Jay Simpson / Focused Monkey and Abbie Jennings
Volunteer & Trader Liaison Support: Frances Allison
Venue Managers: Ellie Holdon, Gordon Meredith, Jon Dixon, Maisie Reynolds, Zach Theodoru
Festival Runner: Mark Hilton
Kitchen Manager: Manju Gregory

and a HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers who make the festival possible!

2024 Artists
About Face Theatre Company, Beep Beep Puppetry, Belinda May, Bori Mezö, Character Division, Chloe Rodham, Clive Chandler, Crooked Timber Theatre, Dinosaurs and Dragons, Don't Panic Puppet Theatre, Edie Edmundson, Enter Edem, Frolicked, Garlic Theatre, Goofus Theatre, Half a String, Indigo Moon Theatre, Jose Navarro Theatre, Judith Hope Puppet Maker, Kazbah Theatre, Keep Drawing Charlie!, Lempen Puppet Theatre, Liz Dorton & Graham Johnson, Luminous Tales, Matthew Robins, Michele O'Brien, Nod at the Fox, Red Thing Creations, Sea Legs Puppet Theatre, Stephen Mottram, Swallow's Wings Puppetry, Tatwood Puppets, Tim Davies Design, The OBJECT Project, The Magical Paper Theatre, Thingumajig Theatre, Veronica Gonzalez, Wild Giant Arts

Beverley Puppet Trail participants and partners:
A huge thank you to all of the school children and community groups who created puppets for the Puppet Trail, including Molescroft Primary School, Woodmansey Primary School & Swinemoor Primary School.
Participating shops: Art & Soul, Beverley Hills Diner, Boyes, Bun Thai Restaurant, Cole's Kitchen, Crafty Coffee, Garnish, Guest & Phillips, Everything but the Dog, Islay Bloom Boutique, the Monkey Tree Café, SALT Gallery, Oxfam, T.C.Patisserie, The Monks Walk Inn, The Refill Jar, Tolle Kitchens. A HUGE thank you to Parkway Cinema, Beverley Hills Diner, Boyes, Crafty Coffee and Tesco for donating such amazing prizes!

Festival partners and suppliers
Marquees: The Traditional Marquee Company
Evening catering for artists & volunteers: Hitchcocks Restaurant
Technical Equipment: Chris Broadwell
Venues: Beverley Masonic Hall, East Riding College, East Riding Theatre, Flemingate Centre, Peter Harrison Room at Beverley Minster Parish Rooms, Toll Gavel Church and Hall, YHA Beverley Friary & Gardens
Outdoor Act support: Beverley Fire Station, Beverley Town Council, Flemingate Centre, Parkway Cinema
Other festival infrastructure: Indigo Moon Theatre, Smile Vaults, Moving Parts Arts CIO

A huge thank you to our funders who made the festival possible
Arts Council England
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Beverley Town Council
Visit East Yorkshire
Wykeland
Flemingate Centre

05/08/2024

Beverley Puppet Festival 2024 - Official Album in full!
Photos by Abbie Jennings and Focused Monkey
Made possible through funding from Arts Council England, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Beverley Town Council, Visit Hull & East Yorkshire, Flemingate