2018 Sees Most Ambitious Puppet Festival To Date

Dates for Beverley Puppet Festival 2018 have been announced, with exciting news about new developments that will see the quality of this award winning event soar to even greater heights.

The 8th Beverley Puppet Festival, a Beverley Arts Trust event, takes place over two days and three nights between 13th and 15th July 2018. A major boost for local tourism, the festival is set to attract thousands of visitors into Beverley’s Town Centre.

The festival’s founder and Artistic Co-Director, Anna Ingleby, says: “We are thrilled to announce this year’s festival will go ahead due to the generosity of Arts Council England and East Riding of Yorkshire Council who are the event’s main funding bodies.

In addition, we are waiting to hear whether the festival has been awarded funding by Beverley Town Council and Netherlands Arts Council. If all funding is secured, it will ensure this is the biggest Beverley Puppet Festival yet and give us the opportunity to realise the event’s full potential with new developments to our programming strategy.”

This year sees a new direction for the festival as organisers join forces with Moving Parts, a unique performance and training festival based in Newcastle.

“Moving Parts’ Artistic Director, Kerrin Tatman has been on the organisational team of the Beverley Festival for some years”, explains Anna, “and will be co-directing this year’s event with myself. This new partnership will create opportunities for shared working practices, cross promotions, arts industry engagement and will see the Beverley based and Newcastle puppet festivals happening over alternative years to ensure longevity. By working together, we aim to enhance and strengthen the reputation of this diverse art form, whilst making it accessible for all.”

Further news of Beverley Puppet Festival’s adult, family and children’s performance programmes and acts are yet to be revealed.

Festival venues announced so far include Beverley Friary for the day time festival hub and East Riding Theatre as the evening hub, along with the Masonic Hall and Toll Gavel Church Hall.