The Pécs International Puppet Festival for Adults
The town of Pécs first hosted a puppet festival in 1963 called 'National Puppeteer Days'. The festival soon became international owing to the appreciation of Bóbita Puppet Theatre both in Hungary and abroad, and due to the ever-expanding international relationships of the ensemble, thus since 1969 on it has been organised as The Pécs International Puppet Festival for Adults, an official festival of UNIMA (Union Internationale De La Marionette).
The festival organised every three years have been providing opportunities for Hungarian puppeteers to get to know their international colleagues, to learn about their work and to perform in front of foreign professionals and impresarios.
The well-known international professionals of the jury and the awards add to the high prestige of the festival.
The organizers have always wanted to show the diversity and the virtuosity of the genre to the general public, so numerous street shows and outdoor performances have been invited to the recent festivals to the great delight of the professionals involved but also in order to lure more and more viewers. Besides the actual performances, there have also been puppet exhibitions, installations and musical programs in the streets and in the galleries of Pécs to make the festival programme more colourful.
Gábor Sramó
Festival Director