The 2025 Chicago Puppet Fest will span 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, presenting  an international pageant of puppet artists sharing more than 100 puppetry activities. Get set for all-ages spectacle shows in landmark theaters, intimate works on smaller stages, and the always popular, adults-only, late night puppet cabarets.

Schedule of Events:

7:00 pm: Plexus Polaire: Dracula: Lucy's Dream

In her visual adaptation of the famous myth of Dracula, Yngvild Aspeli freely draws inspiration from Bram Stoker's story to tell the story of Lucy. As the character fights against her inner "Dracula-esque" demon she surfaces and reveals an inclination toward domination, dependence, addiction and destructive force. A metaphor of control, both forced and desired, seductive and deceptive. From the makers of Moby Dick and Chambre Noire, Plexus Polaire returns flaunting its mastery of the form and serving up large-scale spectacle, human size bunraku puppets, hypnotic video projection and their signature style of imbuing the puppet with storytelling power.

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5:00 pm - 6:45 pm: Opening Night Prelude Reception

Join top supporters, festival leadership, staff and the Artistic Directors from the shows being presented this year in the Festival. Together we will toast the opening of the 7th edition of the festival at this exclusive, pre-show reception featuring drinks, hors d'oeuvres, early access to claim your opening night seating in person and to visit the exhibitions before they open to the public. Prelude reception is immediately followed by the opening night performance of Plexus Polaire's Dracula: Lucy's Dream (show tickets sold separately).

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8:15 pm - 10:15 pm: Opening Night Postshow Party

Celebrate opening night with the artists who are all in town to share their astonishing and delightful acts with you for the next 12 days of the festival. Enjoy drinks, dessert, live puppetry performance, dancing and DJ.

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