The festival, which will run during February half term (15th-23rd February 2025), will see a packed programme of free and low-cost events happening across Smethwick and Bearwood.

Some of the UK’s leading professional puppetry theatre companies are expected to perform. There will be puppet theatre especially made for children and families, plus performances for teens and adults, interactive puppetry workshops, an exhibition and more.

Laura Leech from Black Country Touring explains: “The first Smethwick Puppetry Festival took place in February 2024. We didn’t really know what to expect, and so we were delighted to see how well it was received by audiences. Many shows sold out, and we had packed out venues full of happy families!

“I’m really pleased to confirm that we’ll run the festival again in 2025, with a bigger programme and even more opportunities for people in Smethwick and Bearwood to experience top-notch puppetry and theatre.”

Smethwick Puppetry Festival will take place in community venues including Smethwick Heritage Centre, Dorothy Parkes Centre, Bearwood Community Hub at Bearwood Baptist Church, Brushstrokes Community Project, Lightwoods Park and House, Smethwick Library, Thimblemill Library, West Smethwick Park, Bear Bookshop and St Hilda’s Community Hall.

All events will be either free or pay what you can, which means that you choose how much to pay to attend.

Frances Land from Black Country Touring added, “Puppetry is a brilliant way of introducing children to the world of story-telling and theatre; it sparks the imagination and everyone loves it! We’re delighted to be able to bring some of the country’s leading puppeteers to Smethwick for this festival. All of the performances, workshops and the exhibition will be either free or pay-what-you-can, and the performances are happening in local libraries and community centres, which should take some of the stress away for busy families who want to come along. We’re looking forward to a fun, laid-back festival for half-term week.”