Families got the chance to experience the vibrant art of puppetry at an international festival in Almonte, Ont. this weekend. The annual Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival features seven stages with more than 70 shows, bringing liveliness, street entertainment, kids crafts and a puppet parade to the eastern Ontario community. “This event is about joy,” said Jane Torrance, executive director of Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival. “It’s about to having the very best time with puppets, bringing the joy of puppetry to the people who come to the festival and providing an excellent experience around puppetry.” The event featured everything from marionettes, to hand-and-rod puppets and masks, and much more. It also featured performers from all over the world. “The productions are so well done and it’s such a wonderful event that families can come and go. It’s really easy for kids to sit in the front row and enjoy the show,” said Kelley Scott, attending the festival with her family. Joshua Holden, a puppeteer from Brooklyn, New York has been part of the Puppets Up! festival since 2015, he says he loves the deep ways in which he can connect with people through puppetry storytelling. “It gives me so much hope in terms of community coming together and supporting an art form,” said Holden. “I really like the shows. It’s really fun being able to come and see all these different productions from all around Canada and from a bunch of different places,” said Hannah Affleck, who was attending the festival. Attendees can purchase individual show tickets or a wristband that will allow them to watch up to 35 shows in a day. Show tickets starting at $25 for children and $35 for adults. The puppet parade is free to watch. The festival runs until Sunday.
