Bottrop celebrates the 18th Puppeteer Festival – an experience for everyone!

Bottrop celebrates the 18th Puppeteer Festival – an experience for everyone!

A festival for theater lovers big and small is starting soon in Bottrop! The Puppet Theater Days, which have now advanced to their 18th edition, will take place from September 17th to 27th, 2025. During this time, ensembles from all over Germany present their creative and appealing performances. As always, the organizer is the dedicated team led by Kerstin Mallwitz, who took over the artistic direction for the first time this year. Does the festival take us into the world of puppet theater? In any case!

The opening of the festival on September 17th promises to be a special highlight. The walk act “The Big Mouth” by Dr. Dr. Mouth will entertain passers-by from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. That's just the beginning: On September 20th, Julia Raab's silent lady "The Fat One" will be seen at the weekly market - a feast for the eyes that is guaranteed to bring a lot of laughs.

Entertainment for all ages

What makes this festival special is the variety of program items that appeal to both children and adults. A total of 13 performances are planned for schools and daycare centers. A highlight for the little ones will definitely be “Nils Holgersson’s Wonderful Journey” on September 21st.

For adults, there are four evenings with darkly humorous and poetic pieces on the program. On September 18, the Merlin Puppet Theater will perform its play “Clowns’ Houses” in the Chamber Concert Hall. The audience can also expect the “Long Puppet Theater Night” on September 20th, during which Anne Klinge will cause excitement with “The Foot Murder and Other Love Dramas”. The Theatrium Steinau also brings stories by Don Camillo and Peppone to the stage.

The events continue: on September 24th there will be a performance of "Dr. Fischer from Geneva or the Bomb Party", and the week will close on September 27th with the "Chamber of Wonders", a special ending with a puppet ensemble.

Where and how can you participate?

The puppet theater days not only take place in the chamber concert hall, but also in the “Old Stock Exchange” of the Volksbank, which makes the venues even more interesting. The festival receives support from the Egon Bremer Foundation and the Vereinte Volksbank. Tickets are available at the theater box office in the cultural center, so nothing stands in the way of purchasing them!

If you would like to find out more about the puppet theater days, you can find the full program on the city of Bottrop website. The Fidena portal, which offers various services for actors and interested parties, also provides information about further developments in the puppet theater scene. Among other things, it provides free advice on funding for the performing arts, as well as information about current festivals and events that enliven the scene - Fidena reports on this in detail.

It's going to be great and of course there will be plenty of fun for everyone. Let's get ready for inspiring stories and magical moments! Further information about the puppet theater days in Bottrop can also be found at Revierkind.