World Festival of Puppet Theatres

The world's largest puppet festival since 1961

Founded in 1961 by Jacques Félix, the World Festival of Puppet Theatres in Charleville-Mézières is the global reference event for puppet arts. Having become biennial since 2009 and scheduled for odd-numbered years, it draws over 150,000 spectators from around the world to each edition, making this town in the Ardennes the world capital of puppetry.

Ten days of performances throughout the city

For ten days in September, the festival transforms Charleville-Mézières into a vast open-air theatre. More than 80 companies from France and abroad present around fifty performances daily across 44 venues: theatres, multi-purpose halls, schools, inner courtyards, public squares, and city streets. The festival blends traditional puppetry, object theatre, shadow theatre, digital puppetry, and the most daring contemporary forms.

Exceptional international reach

Each edition highlights artists from all continents. The 2025 edition (23rd) featured a focus on Baltic creation with companies from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, alongside artists from Bangladesh, Canada, China, Chile, the United States, Iran, Israel, and Taiwan. Among the notable companies: Plexus Polaire (Yngvild Aspeli), Kaori Ito, Les Anges au Plafond, Blick Théâtre, Moussoux-Bonté, Gare Centrale (Agnès Limbos), and Bérangère Vantusso. The festival includes an official program (the 'In') and an 'Off' component in theatres and streets.

The International Centre for Puppet Arts

The festival is organized by the International Centre for Puppet Arts–Jacques Félix, a permanent structure located at Place Winston Churchill, which works year-round to promote, create, and disseminate puppet arts. The Centre also manages the International Institute of Puppetry, a higher education institution training puppeteers worldwide, and the Puppet Museum, which houses one of the richest collections globally.

A festival rooted in its territory

Charleville-Mézières and puppetry have a history spanning over 60 years. The city is home to the Clock of the Grand Puppeteer on Place Ducale, a monumental automaton paying homage to this art form. The festival permeates the entire social and economic fabric of the Ardennes city, mobilizing hundreds of volunteers and generating considerable economic benefits for the region.