It's official: the 2026 Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival is scheduled for August 8 & 9 2026

Save the dates! It's official: the 2026 Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival is scheduled for August 8 & 9 next year in Almonte. We'll share behind-the-scenes news about festival preparations in the months to come. Meanwhile, we invite you to save the dates in your calendar.

Noreen's Night of Nonsense Cabaret 

Puppeteers from across Canada and the United States entertained an enthusiastic near-capacity crowd at the Almonte Old Town Hall on August 9 and we raised more then eight thousand dollars for the Noreen Young Award for the Arts. Big thanks to all involved.

Chautauqua Fundraiser Nov 15

A Chautauqua is essentially an old-style variety show. The Puppets Up! new-fangled fall Chautauqua will take place on Saturday, November 15, with matinée and evening performances at the Almonte Old Town Hall. We'll let you know when tickets will be available from TicketsPlease.ca

Auditions will be held on Sunday, September 14 from 1- 4pm and Monday, September 15 from 7-9pm in the conference room of the Almonte Library. Acts can be up to 7 minutes in length, and they don’t have to be completely polished by the audition date — you just need to demonstrate that you’ve got something good going on. Register for an audition slot here.