The 12th Annual New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival is fast approaching, with more puppet offerings than ever before and new ways to get involved.
Established in 2012, the New Orleans Giant Puppet Fest (NOGPF) is a five-day celebration of the ancient, innovative, and diverse art form of puppetry. From April 9–13, 2026 (Thursday to Monday), the festival will host local, national, and international artists, with kid-friendly and adult-only performances running from daytime through late night across a dozen venues.
This year’s festival features fifty unique puppet companies activating venues across New Orleans’ Marigny, New Marigny, French Quarter, and Bywater neighborhoods. A collectible Festival Guide—featuring a schedule of events, performance catalog, venue maps, and more—will be available online and at the “Puppet Hub,” located in the St. Coffee courtyard throughout the week. The Puppet Hub will also offer tickets and puppet merchandise from participating artists.
The NOGPF features nightly Puppet Slams hosted by ToyBox, America’s favorite cartoon witch, and Esmerelda the Puppet. These events will take place at The Mudlark Public Theatre on Thursday and Friday, April 9–10, and at the Twilight Room at the AllWays Lounge on Sunday and Monday, April 12–13. Sunday’s “Slam du Femme Fatale” will feature an all-female and queer lineup curated and hosted by Emily Schubert of Pink House Puppets.
Workshops in a variety of puppet disciplines will be offered during daytime hours throughout the festival weekend.
The Giant Puppet Parades are a centerpiece of the festival. The NOGPF Night Parade will take place on Saturday, April 11 at 10 p.m., and the NOGPF Dream It, Be It Parade will take place on Sunday, April 12 at 12 PM. Both parades will line up at Plessy Park (Homer Plessy at N. Rampart).
Tickets may be purchased in advance online, with cash or Venmo accepted at the door of each venue. Admission is offered on a $15–$25 sliding scale for adults, with a suggested $10 price for children under 12. An all-performance festival pass is available for presale at $150. Additional information, including the full schedule, artist lineup, pre-sale and festival package tickets, workshop registration, and parade updates, is available at www.neworleansgiantpuppetfest.com.
