No Strings Attached — Puppet Theatre Festival Mainz
Annual international puppet theatre festival at the Mainzer Kammerspiele featuring puppet theatre, object theatre, Nouveau Cirque, and performance.
About No Strings Attached
No Strings Attached is the only specialized puppet theatre festival in Mainz and one of the important platforms for contemporary puppet theatre in western Germany. The organisers are the Mainzer Kammerspiele — a small, highly professional theatre institution in the Malakoff Passage on the Rhine embankment — in cooperation with the Institut français Mainz and the Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz.
The title No Strings Attached plays on the English double meaning: without (puppet) strings — meaning non-traditional puppet theatre beyond the classic marionette — and without conditions, meaning open to all forms of puppet play. This sets the programmatic direction: the festival showcases contemporary puppet theatre in its full breadth — puppet and object theatre, hybrid forms of theatre and dance, performance with materials, Nouveau Cirque with puppet elements, acrobatics with mask play, manual animation art.
The 2026 edition is expected to take place from late October to early November — the annual festival window of recent years. The exact dates will be announced by the Mainzer Kammerspiele in late summer 2026. In 2025, the festival ran from October 24 to November 2; a similar timeframe can be expected for 2026.
The venues are the Mainzer Kammerspiele in Malakoff Passage (Rheinstraße 4) as the main venue with two stages, the Institut français Mainz (Schillerstraße) for Franco-German cooperation programmes, and individual public spaces in Mainz city centre for outdoor performances and participatory formats.
The programme typically includes 8 to 12 productions from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, and occasionally other European countries. The international focus is a hallmark: the Belgian and French puppet theatre scene is considered the most innovative internationally, and the Mainz festival leverages its proximity to France (Institut français as a partner) to develop a special profile in this direction.
Accompanying events include discussions with the companies, workshops for theatre professionals and interested amateurs, a family programme with performances for young audiences aged 6 and up, and outdoor performances in public spaces.
The festival is part of the Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz — the statewide festival series that takes place annually under a common theme — and is integrated into the region's supra-regional cultural programme.
No Strings Attached — edition 2026
The exact programme for 2026 will be published by the Mainzer Kammerspiele in late summer. The structure will follow the proven benchmarks of previous years: opening evening with an international production at the Kammerspiele; in the following 8 to 10 days, daily performances at the venues, with discussions afterwards; weekends with a condensed family programme and outdoor performances in Mainz city centre; festival finale with a highlight production. The entire programme will be presented within the framework of the Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz theme.
Programme No Strings Attached 2026
2026 Programme Structure (Typical)
Opening — Thursday
- Festival opening at the Mainzer Kammerspiele
- First international production
- Reception in the foyer
Festival Week
- Daily performances at Kammerspiele and Institut français
- Discussions after each performance
- Workshops for theatre professionals and amateurs
- Outdoor performances in the city centre
Family Weekend
- Family programme with performances for ages 6 and up
- Participatory formats for children
- Play opportunities in the foyer
Finale
- Highlight production
- Festival closing discussion
Typical Companies
- From France (Compagnies Royal de Luxe, Gravitation, Théâtre de Cuisine etc.)
- From Belgium (KOPERGIETERY, Theater Stap)
- From Switzerland and Spain
- From Germany (figuren.theater)
Venues
- Mainzer Kammerspiele, Malakoff Passage
- Institut français Mainz
- Public spaces in the city centre
Highlights No Strings Attached 2026
- Only specialized puppet theatre festival in Mainz
- International companies from FR, BE, CH, ES, DE
- Mainzer Kammerspiele as main venue
- Institut français as partner
- Outdoor performances and family programme
- Part of the Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz
Prices No Strings Attached 2026
Practical information — No Strings Attached
Main Venue
Mainzer Kammerspiele, Malakoff Passage, Rheinstraße 4, 55116 Mainz. Directly on the Rhine embankment in the city centre.
Other Venues
Institut français Mainz (Schillerstraße) and various public spaces in Mainz city centre.
Dates 2026
Expected from late October to early November 2026 — exact dates to be announced by the Mainzer Kammerspiele in late summer. For reference: in 2025, the festival ran from 24.10. to 02.11.
Tickets
Single tickets and festival passes available via Mainzer Kammerspiele and no-strings-attached.de. Prices typically range from 12 to 25 Euros per performance. Family tickets available.
Family Programme
Performances for young audiences aged 6 and up — programme and recommendations in the detailed programme.
Discussions and Workshops
Discussions with the companies following performances. Workshops for theatre professionals and amateurs — advance registration required.
Partners
Mainzer Kammerspiele, Institut français Mainz, Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
Max. 5 photos, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Each suggestion is reviewed by our team before being published.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.