The Free Neighborhood Tour fosters an appreciation for puppetry throughout the city by bringing free, family-friendly performances to locations outside of Chicago’s theaters, but areas in the city where people may not have the chance to see puppetry very often. The tour offers a range of high-quality puppetry styles in order to create moments of community enjoyment while expanding the base of puppet enthusiasts. For 2025, the Tour is twice the size of previous years presenting TWO free, family-friendly puppet shows from Puerto Rico and Vermont at venues and community spaces all over the city. This program was made possible with special support from Kristy & Brandon Moran, Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks Program, and UChicago.

Eight Chicago artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines have spent the last eight months in residence at the Chicago Puppet Lab, a program of the Chicago Puppet International Puppet Theater Festival, where they have been expanding their skill sets by creating new, original puppet theater works.

Eight Chicago artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines have spent the last eight months in residence at the Chicago Puppet Lab, a program of the Chicago Puppet International Puppet Theater Festival, where they have been expanding their skill sets by creating new, original puppet theater works.

Eight Chicago artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines have spent the last eight months in residence at the Chicago Puppet Lab, a program of the Chicago Puppet International Puppet Theater Festival, where they have been expanding their skill sets by creating new, original puppet theater works.

Eight Chicago artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines have spent the last eight months in residence at the Chicago Puppet Lab, a program of the Chicago Puppet International Puppet Theater Festival, where they have been expanding their skill sets by creating new, original puppet theater works.

The Puppet Festival’s annual Free Neighborhood Tour brings free, family-friendly performances to locations outside of Chicago’s theaters to foster an appreciation for puppetry throughout the city. The tour offers a range of high-quality puppetry styles to create moments of community enjoyment while expanding the city’s base of puppet enthusiasts. The Tour once again presents two free, family-friendly puppet shows, this year from Spain and Baltimore, to venues and community spaces all over the city. Stay tuned for dates, times and locations.