Festival di Morgana — Palermo: Dates & Info

Puppeteers from around the world join Sicily's pupari every November at the figure-theatre festival run by the Antonio Pasqualino puppet museum. The 50th edition took place in November 2025.

The Festival di Morgana was founded in 1975, the year the Museo internazionale delle marionette Antonio Pasqualino opened, and it has grown into one of the longest-running international festivals of figure theatre. Every November it brings puppeteers from across the globe to Palermo, alongside the Sicilian pupari who keep alive the Opera dei pupi, inscribed by UNESCO as intangible heritage.

The 50th edition, held from 6 to 16 November 2025, featured companies from China, Indonesia, Palestine and Spain among others. It is also the best chance to watch the Palermo style of puppetry up close: rod marionettes about ninety centimetres tall, with articulated knees and swords that actually draw from their scabbards.

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