Name: Pole Poppenspäler Tage Husum 2026
Start: 2026-09-18T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-09-27T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Husumer Altstadt, Schloss, Hafen — diverse Spielstätten

Pole Poppenspäler Tage

About Pole Poppenspäler Tage

The Pole Poppenspäler Tage is the most important international puppetry festival in Northern Germany and has been a firm fixture in Husum's cultural calendar since 1984. Over ten days, around 60 productions from all over the world present the full diversity of puppetry: marionettes, hand puppets, shadow theatre, tabletop puppets, experimental object theatre. The artists come from Europe, Asia, and the Americas — the event is one of the few truly international puppetry festivals in the German-speaking world. The organising association and its volunteer team have managed the festival entirely on a voluntary basis to this day.

Dates 18 Sep — 27 Sep 2026

Venue Husum (01054)

Prices —

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Pole Poppenspäler Tage — edition 2026

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The 42nd Pole Poppenspäler Tage Husum from 18 to 27 September 2026 will bring together around 60 performances from around the world in Husum's old town. Renowned puppetry ensembles from Europe, Asia, and the Americas will showcase marionettes, hand puppets, shadow play, tabletop puppets, and experimental object theatre. The festival will use venues such as the Schloss vor Husum, the warehouses by the harbour, the Theater-Werkstatt, St. Marien Church, and smaller stages in restaurants and courtyards — a ten-day journey through the world of puppetry.

42nd Edition — International Breadth

From 18 to 27 September 2026, the 42nd Pole Poppenspäler Tage will once again bring the international puppetry scene to Husum. The programme includes classics of European puppet theatre as well as Asian shadow plays, experimental object theatre productions, and children's programmes.

Programme Focus Areas

As in previous years, the festival is divided into several streams: Adult Programme (sophisticated productions, often experimental), Children's Programme (morning performances for school classes, family performances on weekends), Special Events (workshops, encounters with artists, readings, discussions). The event is organised by the volunteer team of Pole Poppenspäler Tage Husum e.V., which has supported the festival since 1984.

Venues in the Old Town

Performances will take place in numerous venues throughout Husum's old town — from the Schloss vor Husum and the warehouses by the harbour to intimate stages in courtyards and restaurants. The exact programme will be published in August 2026.

Highlights Pole Poppenspäler Tage 2026

42nd edition since 1984
Around 60 international productions
Venues throughout Husum's old town
Organised entirely by volunteers
Adult, children's, and family programmes

Programme Pole Poppenspäler Tage 2026

Festival Week 18–27 September 2026

Around 60 performances in ten days
Marionettes, hand puppets, shadow theatre, tabletop puppets, object theatre
Artists from Europe, Asia, and the Americas
Adult programme, children's programme, and family performances
Special events: workshops, encounters with artists, readings

Venues

Schloss vor Husum — historic halls
Speicher am Hafen — industrial atmosphere
Theater-Werkstatt — smaller productions
St. Marien Church — shadow play performances
Stages in Restaurants and Courtyards — intimate performances

The detailed programme overview will be published in August 2026 on pole-poppenspaeler.de and in the printed festival booklet.

Prices Pole Poppenspäler Tage 2026

Tickets via pole-poppenspaeler.de, and during the festival week also at the venues. Festival passes and family tickets are available.

Practical information

Practical information — Pole Poppenspäler Tage

Getting Here

By Train: Husum Hauptbahnhof (main station) with direct ICE connections from Hamburg-Altona (approx. 2 hours) and IC from Berlin. From the station to the old town: approx. 10 minutes on foot. By Car: B5 (Heide–Husum) or A23/B201 from Hamburg. Parking is signposted.

Tickets

Tickets are available via the festival website pole-poppenspaeler.de, and during the festival week also at the venues. Workshops and special events require separate registration. Family tickets and festival passes are available.

Programme

Over 60 performances in ten days — the exact overview will be published in August in the official festival booklet and on the website.

Pole Poppenspäler — Theodor Storm's Character

The festival's name refers to the novella Pole Poppenspäler by Theodor Storm (1874), which is set in Husum. Pole, the travelling puppeteer, is one of the most tender characters in Storm's world — and the namesake for a festival that celebrates puppetry as a serious, multi-layered art form. Husum, Storm's birthplace, was the only conceivable location for the festival founders in 1984.

International Puppetry in All Its Forms

For 40 years, the programme has been consistently international and stylistically open:

Marionettes — the classic European form of puppetry
Hand Puppets — from Kasperle to experimental productions
Shadow Theatre — Wayang from Indonesia, Chinese shadow play
Tabletop Puppets — the Japanese Bunraku tradition and modern adaptations
Object Theatre — avant-garde with everyday objects

Venues in Husum's Old Town

The festival takes over the entire old town of Husum: the Schloss vor Husum (castle), the warehouses by the harbour, the Theater-Werkstatt (theatre workshop), St. Marien Church, the children's theatre at Schul-Brücke, and numerous smaller stages in restaurants and courtyards. The town itself becomes a stage during the festival week — performances, workshops, guided tours, and encounters with artists take place all over the old town.

Husum — The Grey Town by the Sea

Husum is a small town of around 23,000 inhabitants on the North Sea coast, in the district of Nordfriesland (Schleswig-Holstein). Theodor Storm affectionately called it 'the grey town by the sea'. In September, the North Sea air cools the town — the right time for a theatre festival that turns the venues in the old town into warming islands of light.