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The White Barn will host this multi-day event of performances, workshops, puppet making activities, a Puppet Slam, and more!

From the tiniest finger puppets to giant puppets, our festival will ignite the imagination, sense of wonder, playfulness and creativity of children and adults alike.


Join us for a weekend of puppetry in St. Helena!


Friday July 26
7 pm | Indoor Stage

Saturday July 27
11 am | Indoor Stage

Italo Calvino’s INVISIBLE CITIES:
A Toy Theater Atlas

Chicago collaborators Matthew Gawryk and Dan Kerr-Hobert are excited to share their production of Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities: A Toy Theater Atlas. This ingenious toy theater adaptation of Italo Calvino’s renowned novel compresses 19 cities into a menagerie of objects. …

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55 minutes Ages 10+
Tickets: Adults $25.00 / Kids $15.00

Saturday, July 27
Sunday, July 28
11 am - 2 pm | Outdoors

Sock Puppet Workshop

The Nimbus Arts team will be rolling up in the Nim-Bus Mobile Art Studio with plenty of socks, doo-dads, eyeballs, felt, feathers, yarn, and other assorted materials needed to create a one-of-a-kind sock puppet. This is a “hands-on” workshop for the whole family.


Tickets: available on day of event

Saturday, July 27
Sunday, July 28
11 am - 2 pm | Outdoors

Family Finger Puppet Workshop

Open a door to your imagination! Explore how simple finger puppets are made and create your own character.

We have all the fixings for encouraging your finger puppet creative play- some simple easy designs for little hands and some finger puppets a little more complicated for those with more dexterity. Felt, faux fur, googly eyes, sparkly jewels, pompoms, crystals, pipe cleaners and much, much more. You can create a character from your favorite book, or a butterfly, or a furry, fuzzy monster! The sky’s the limit.

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Tickets: available on day of event

Saturday, July 27
11 am - 2 pm | Outdoors

Caterpillar Puppet Workshop
w/Moddy Puppets

Design your own Caterpillar Puppet - equipped with an adorable smiling mouth and expressive eyes. Ideal for artistic individuals seeking a versatile addition to their professional portfolio. Personalize your puppet creation, and have fun with this tactile toy that fosters creativity and imaginative play.

Moddy will also be strolling the event demonstrating the art of ventriloquism.


Tickets: available on day of event

Saturday, July 27
12:30 pm | Outdoor Stage

The Three Bears: 
Il Teatro Calamari (Tim Giugni)

Kinda what you expect when you see the words “puppet” and “show” put together. Kid friendly, yes, but the audience gets to choose how the story ends, so- mostly safe for adults.

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30 minutes+ All ages
Free Admission

Saturday, July 27
2 pm | Indoor Stage

Carnival of the Animals

Saint-Saens’ fanciful score serves as a canvas upon which three classic storybook fairy tales are interwoven: “The Three Little Pigs”, “The Tortoise and the Hare”, and “The Ugly Duckling”. This production is performed without dialog, allowing the classical score to shine. A magical delight for all ages.The puppets and puppeteers perform on a raised stage, fully visible to the audience. …

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45 minutes All Ages
Tickets: $10.00

Saturday, July 27
2:30 pm | Outdoor Stage

The Puppet Man - Magical Moonshine Theater

The Puppet Man, Magical Moonshine Theatre’s Michael Nelson creates his own version of traditional European street theatre. The performances are colorful, lively, spontaneous and ever-changing. In this selection of skits and bits selected from years of performing in the “strolling puppet stage” audiences, puppeteer and puppets respond to each other to create the play together in this uniquely exciting theatrical experience: The Puppet Show!


30 minutes+ All ages
Free Admission

Saturday, July 27
3:30 pm | Outdoors

Giant Puppet Parade

Artists will be bringing their giant creations to our festival and some folks are busy creating brand/grand new ones especially for our event. Get a chance to interact with the artists and try your hand at a little…GIANT puppeteering!

Saturday, July 27
8 pm | Indoor Stage

Forbidden Puppet Cabaret

Forbidden Puppet Cabaret gathers eclectic, eccentric puppet artists from around the Bay Area to present short works of unbridled theater.

60 minutes+ *Adults Only
Tickets: $25.00

Sunday, July 28
11 am | Outdoor Stage

Giant Puppets
Save the World

“Frog In the Well, Goose on the Loose, and the Lost Ladybug” - A puppetry performance featuring CelloJoe and Toni Tone’s original stories and music taking inspiration from their personal heritages and life experiences together in puppetry.

A giant puppet installation of 6 silk bird kite puppets in 18 umbrella stands will be free standing for friends and families to fly around.


Free Admission

Sunday, July 28
1 pm | Indoor Stage

Bringing Puppets to Life!
Puppetry Workshop

Explore the joy of puppet performance with Lee Armstrong. This workshop is part demo and part “hands-on” puppetry and focuses on the question “What do you do once you have a puppet on your hand?”

It’s ideal for newish puppeteers, actors, teachers, librarians, youth group leaders and teens interested in the art of puppet performance. You’ll leave this workshop with more confidence and skill in your puppet performance!

BYOP (Bring Your Own Puppet) or puppets will be available for this workshop through the generosity of our friends at Folkmanis Puppets. …

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Limited to 20 people
Tickets: $20.00

Sunday, July 28
2 pm | Outdoor Stage

The Three Pigs: 
Il Teatro Calamari (Tim Giugni)

Join Tim as the Bad Wolf and “All of the Pigs” as they perform their two person version of this childhood favorite. Lots of audience participation as suggestions build the houses by using the “power of imagination”.

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35 minutes+ All ages
Free Admission


Many Thanks to Napa Valley Presents and The City of Saint Helena For Their Generous Support


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