TWO MOMENTS.
ONE PASSION : FIGURE THEATRE

An international puppet theatre festival that experiments with new languages, dialogues with technology, and intertwines music, dance, and visual arts.

Then, in October, between Gorizia and Nova Gorica, the stage opens to new trends in European figure theatre, welcoming enthusiasts and the curious eager to discover fresh perspectives.

< id="b-xljdyw_mdxf5wpt" class="brxe-heading h1" data-gbrx-id="gb-xljdyw" data-gbrx-name="heading">Gorizia and Nova Gorica

3. — 8. October

PERSPECTIVES

Talking about perspectives in theatre, and in puppet theatre in particular, opens up a boundless range of reflections, as boundless as the territory of Nova Gorica/Gorizia in this year that sees them as protagonists as European Capital of Culture. Today, anyone looking at either city, from either side of the border, can witness the shared desire to collaborate in order to build a united, welcoming, sustainable territory that is looking towards the future.

And this is what the Alpe Adria Puppet Festival has been working on since its first edition, by presenting performances that would cross the border, still guarded and closed, in the strong belief in the communicative potential of puppet theatre, an art form whose perspectives of language and communication multiply to embrace all aspects of reality.

Figure theatre can bring itself down to the level of the audience in the form of table theatre, where the distance between the actor and the viewer is nullified. And if everyday objects can already be used to build stories, in today’s world it is impossible to ignore the urges coming from new technologies: perspectives inevitably broaden and the potential of the performance expands immeasurably, creating mutable and ever-dynamic relationship between actors and audience, stage and stalls, light and shadow, real and unreal.

Receptive to contemporary ideas but unwilling to abandon tradition, puppet theatre is shaped with incredible naturalness and plasticity by the expressive needs of artists and the demands of audiences, who are now more than ever attracted to what is astonishing an to topical issues such as the role of women in society and environmental sustainability. And – despite the financial and organisational challenges facing the sector – actors, directors and arts directors aim to embrace these ideas to provide fresh perspectives on the world. Perspectives that are always different.

FRIDAY, 3 OCTOBER

Lidia Poët
Friday, 3 October
5:30 pm
Circolo Arci Gong

Cargo
Friday, 3 October
7:00 pm
EpiCenter

Atalanta
Friday, 3 October
8:30 pm
Kulturni Dom

Connecting Flights
Friday, 3 October
9:30 pm
national premiere

SATURDAY, 4 OCTOBER

Connecting Flights
Saturday, 4 October
5:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

Cargo
Saturday, 4 October
6:00 pm
EpiCenter

EX – TRA
Saturday, 4 October
7:00 pm
Circolo Arci Gong

Connecting Flights
Saturday, 4 October
7:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

Cargo
Saturday, 4 October
8:00 pm
EpiCenter

Edith & Me
Saturday, 4 October
9:00 pm
Kulturni Dom

Flash art – Videomapping Installation Lighting Guerrilla
Saturday, 4 October
10:00 pm
Palazzo De Grazia

SUNDAY, 5 OCTOBER

From above, from afar. A border choral
Sunday, 5. October
11:45 am
reservation required

Connecting Flights
Sunday, 5. October
3.30 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

Solonaut
Sunday, 5. October
5:00 pm
UGG Hall

Cargo
Sunday, 5. October
5:00 pm
EpiCenter

Electric shadows
Sunday, 5. October
6:30 pm
Kulturni Center Lojze Bratuž
national premiere

Connecting Flights
Sunday, 5. October
7:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

Cargo
Sunday, 5. October
8:00 pm
EpiCenter

MONDAY, 6 OCTOBER

Mrs Rossetta
Monday, 6. October
6:00 pm
Circolo Arci Gong

Fasten Your Seat Belts!
Monday, 6 October
7:00 pm
EpiCenter

Tipping Point
Monday, 6. October
8:00 pm
EpiCenter
national premiere

Departure
Monday, 6. October
9:00 pm
EpiCenter
national premiere

Frontline
Monday, 6. October
10:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall
national premiere

TUESDAY, 7 OCTOBER

Like two sisters
Tuesday, 7. October
11:00 am
reservation required

Departure
Tuesday, 7. October
3:00 pm
EpiCenter

Frontline
Tuesday, 7. October
4:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

Fasten Your Seat Belts!
Tuesday, 7 October
5:00 pm
EpiCenter

Tipping Point
Tuesday, 7. October
6:00 pm
EpiCenter

Frontline
Tuesday, 7. October
7:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

Fasten Your Seat Belts!
Tuesday, 7 October
8:00 pm
EpiCenter

Tipping Point
Tuesday, 7. October
9:00 pm
EpiCenter

Night Flowers
Tuesday, 7. October
9:00 pm
Kulturni Center Lojze Bratuž
national premiere

Departure
Tuesday, 7. October
10:00 pm
EpiCenter

WEDNESDAY, 8 OCTOBER

Gora
Wednesday, 8. October
11:00 am
Kulturni Center Lojze Bratuž
in Slovenian

Frontline
Wednesday, 8. October
3:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

Departure
Wednesday, 8. October
4:00 pm
EpiCenter

Gora
Wednesday, 8. October
4:00 pm
Kulturni Center Lojze Bratuž
in Italian

Fasten Your Seat Belts!
Wednesday, 8 October
5:00 pm
EpiCenter

Tipping Point
Wednesday, 8. October
6:00 pm
EpiCenter

This is not a love story
Wednesday, 8. October
6:30 pm
Circolo Arci Gong

Departure
Wednesday, 8. October
7:00 pm
EpiCenter

Fasten Your Seat Belts!
Wednesday, 8 October
8:00 pm
EpiCenter

Hakanai
Wednesday, 8. October
9:00 pm
Auditorium della Cultura Friulana

Frontline
Wednesday, 8. October
10:00 pm
Franc Močnik Hall

< id="b-xljdyw_mdsy6a04" class="brxe-heading" data-gbrx-id="gb-xljdyw" data-gbrx-name="heading">Our workshops < id="b-xljdyw_mdyb64bm" class="brxe-heading" data-gbrx-id="gb-xljdyw" data-gbrx-name="heading">Workshop Lighting Guerrilla

AAPF24 1003 CULTURA ENTOURAGE WS LIGHTING GUERRILLA LDA 015 Nero AI Image Upscaler Photo Face

Strip Core/ Forum Ljubljana
2-4 Ottobre 2025, Gorizia
Art&Puppets Project ( SPF GO! 2025 financed by Interreg ITA-SLO 2021-2027 – managed by GECT GO )

The 34th edition of the Alpe Adria Puppet Festival Gorizia/Nova Gorica, European Capital of Culture 2025, offers 12 young people over 18 with prior knowledge of video making the chance to participate in a free three-day workshop during the festival. The workshop, led by Stella Ivšek and Urša Čuk from the Beam Team in Ljubljana (music: Črt Trkman) will culminate in a Flash Art installation, with a projection in the city center on the evening of Saturday, October 4th.
The workshop is dedicated to exploring the use of video mapping in site-specific artistic projects, focusing on the application of video in urban spaces. Through hands-on activities, participants will learn the fundamental principles and methods of video mapping, developing their own conceptual and visual approaches to projects on architectural and spatial elements.

Download the project call and find out how to participate
Download the application form

< id="b-xljdyw_mdyevjdn" class="brxe-heading" data-gbrx-id="gb-xljdyw" data-gbrx-name="heading">Project SpettAttore

SOLD OUT

The Alpe Adria Puppet Festival in Gorizia/Nova Gorica, European Capital of Culture 2025, offers 10 audience members the chance to participate in all scheduled events from a new and exclusive perspective, from Friday, October 3 to Wednesday, October 8, 2025. It’s a special opportunity to learn about contemporary puppet theater and become an active and engaged spectator, fully immersing yourself in the festival’s atmosphere.

The idea behind the project is that it’s no longer enough to just “watch a show.” It’s essential to have a shared experience that restores theater’s social function and simultaneously becomes an opportunity for both individual and collective education and growth.

Download the project call

< id="b-xljdyw_mdxf40dr" class="brxe-heading h1" data-gbrx-id="gb-xljdyw" data-gbrx-name="heading">Grado

18. — 22. August

As the height of summer approaches, Grado is transformed into an open-air stage, captivating both young and old. Amidst its charming alleys, squares, and gardens, a vibrant array of performances—featuring puppets, shadow theatre, marionettes, and object theatre—brings the historic centre and local “shop windows” to life. This five-day event is spread throughout the town, where the artistry of figure theatre sparks the curiosity of passers-by and ignites the enthusiasm of loyal spectators, fostering a continuous dialogue between tradition and wonder.