Tehran opens puppet theater festival with public ceremony

The 21st edition of the Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival opened on Saturday with a ceremony at the open-air grounds of Tehran’s City Theater Complex.

Bringing together puppetry artists and members of the public in a celebration of the art form, festival secretary Poupak Azimpour Tabrizi invited artists, students, university professors, theater practitioners and other interested participants to attend with their own puppets.

The opening event marked the beginning of the six-day gala, running in Tehran on October 17-22, featuring puppetry performances and activities dedicated to the art form.

The Tehran-Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival is one of Iran’s major cultural events dedicated to puppetry, bringing together Iranian and international artists to showcase different traditions, techniques and approaches to puppet theater.

Named after Mobarak, a traditional Iranian glove-puppet character known for his humor and lively exchanges with audiences, the festival celebrates the country’s rich heritage of traditional puppetry while providing a platform for contemporary forms of the art.

Its programs highlight puppetry as a medium for storytelling, cultural expression and communication across generations.

Over the years, the festival has sought to promote innovation in puppet theater, encourage interaction among artists and introduce younger audiences to the art form.

Productions presented at the event range from traditional Iranian performances to experimental works incorporating different puppetry techniques, visual design, music and movement.

By bringing together performers, theater practitioners and audiences, the festival also supports professional exchange and helps expand the role of puppetry within Iran’s performing arts scene.