International Puppet Festival

At the heart of the festival is Karagöz, Turkey's traditional shadow puppet theater. Karagöz is a shadow play using leather puppets, deeply rooted in Turkish culture. As the lights dim in the intimate performance space, the audience holds its breath in anticipation. A white screen illuminates, and intricate, colorful silhouettes come to life, unfolding stories of love, mischief, and social commentary. The puppeteers skillfully manipulate the delicate leather puppets, changing their voices to portray various characters, eliciting laughter and surprise from the audience.

The festival brings together diverse puppet theater styles from around the world. For example, a delicate marionette play by a Spanish troupe features intricate string puppets performing a love story to the melancholic tones of flamenco guitar. The audience is captivated by the puppets' subtle movements and changing expressions.

In contrast, a troupe from Senegal in West Africa manipulates large rod puppets dressed in vibrant costumes, presenting traditional folktales to the powerful rhythms of djembe and tama drums. The hall is filled with excitement from their dynamic movements and vivid colors.

A Czech shadow theater group combines intricate paper cutouts with state-of-the-art projection technology to create a fantastical world. The story unfolds without words, using only music, light, and shadows to stimulate the audience's imagination.

As these diverse performances progress simultaneously, various languages fill the venue, but the visual expression of puppet theater creates emotion and understanding that transcends language barriers. Regardless of age or nationality, the audience is drawn into the stories woven by the puppets, sharing laughter, tears, and wonder.

Participants can join workshops to experience puppet-making and manipulation. Amid the fresh scent of leather and wood, under the guidance of skilled craftsmen, they can create their own shadow puppets. The sound of children's laughter fills the air as families work together to bring their creations to life.

Once a year, a puppet parade takes place in the streets of Istanbul, with colorful and fantastical creatures marching through. Giant puppets tower over the spectators, their movable limbs swaying to traditional music. The cobblestone streets echo with countless footsteps as spectators and puppeteers come together to share in this joy.