Find shadow events
Discover festivals, performances, workshops, and annual observance days connected to shadow puppetry.
Links to public organizer listings. Confirm details before making plans.
In-person times use the venue's local time zone. Online listings also show your local time when it differs.
Shadow Pals curates links to public event pages to help the community connect. Dates, availability, and prices can change, so confirm details directly with the organizer before making plans or purchasing tickets.
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Last updated: August 2, 2026
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Showing 26 events
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June 1 – December 31, 2026 · Opening reception
Exhibition featuring a world-class collection of Asian shadow puppets gifted by theatre scholars, alongside puppets from the University of Hawaii.
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August 5–30, 2026 · 6:30 PM daily except August 19 GMT+1
Venue local time · Europe/London
Underbelly presents Book of Shadows, a dark comedy in which two puppeteers cast giant shadows for an occult mystery at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.
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August 14–23, 2026 · Symposium Aug 14-16; workshops Aug 17-23
This 10-day figure-theatre conference earns inclusion for confirmed shadow-focused programming, including Fabrizio Montecchi's contemporary shadow theatre workshop and Kathy Foley's Wayang workshop.
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August 22–23, 2026 · 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM, and midnight GMT+2
Venue local time · Europe/Rome
Drew Colby is listed for three Nottenera appearances in Serra de Conti, using hand shadows and shadowgraphy in an outdoor night-festival setting.
Saturday, August 22, 2026 · 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM PDT
Venue local time · America/Los_Angeles
Fremont Arts Council presents Olympia-based String & Shadow Puppet Theater for a free outdoor performance of Night at the Opera.
Sunday, September 13, 2026 · 6:00 PM
A night of shadow puppetry featuring Jeighk Koyote's Ocean Kin and two short works by Dawn Brandes, using plexiglass puppets, sculptural props, projected illustration, flashlights, and overhead projection.
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September 26–27, 2026 · Sep 26 12:30 PM - 6:00 PM; Sep 27 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Mochinosha hosts a two-day shadow art festival with five shadow puppetry productions, workshops, hands-on exhibits, gamelan and violin music, and artists from Japan, Canada, and Indonesia.
Sunday, September 27, 2026 · 2:00 PM EDT
Venue local time · America/New_York
Connecticut Guild of Puppetry lists Blues, Blues by Sova Theater, a musical performance combining live music, dance, and shadow puppetry.
Friday, October 16, 2026 · See festival
Drew Colby's official hand-shadow calendar lists a London Month of the Dead appearance at West Norwood Cemetery.
Sunday, October 18, 2026 · See festival
Drew Colby brings My Shadow and Me to Firobi Festival Titelles, using hand shadows and shadowgraphy to build a comic visual world.
Friday, October 23, 2026 · 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Wisconsin Union Theater presents Manual Cinema's shadow-puppet retelling of Frankenstein, combining handmade shadow puppetry, live music, cinematic technique, and projected visuals.
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October 28–29, 2026 · Oct 28-29, 7:30 PM
Performing Arts Houston lists Manual Cinema's The 4th Witch on Oct 28-29 as a Macbeth spin-off told through shadow puppetry, live music, and cinematic silhouettes.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 · 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Manual Cinema's official calendar lists The 4th Witch at Weber State University, describing the production as a Macbeth-inspired work told through shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette, and live music.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Manual Cinema's official calendar lists The 4th Witch at Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, describing the production as a Macbeth-inspired work told through shadow puppetry, actors in silhouette, and live music.
Friday, November 13, 2026 · 6:00 PM - 7:05 PM
CINARS Biennale lists Manual Cinema's The 4th Witch, a Manual Cinema shadow-puppetry and silhouette-theatre production.
Saturday, November 28, 2026 · Time TBD
Drew Colby's hand-shadow adaptation of The Ugly Duckling at The Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre in Glasgow.
Sunday, November 29, 2026 · Time TBD
Drew Colby's hand-shadow adaptation of The Ugly Duckling at The Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre in Glasgow.
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January 6–17, 2027 · Multiple morning and afternoon performances
Mr. Damon's Shadow Puppets presents an interactive adventure built from shadow and light where audience choices steer each performance through a different story route.
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January 22 – April 25, 2027 · See venue
Drew Colby's official hand-shadow calendar lists a public GOP Munster engagement from January 22 through April 25, 2027.
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August 6 – October 24, 2027 · See venue
Drew Colby's official hand-shadow calendar lists a public GOP Hannover engagement from August 6 through October 24, 2027.
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November 12, 2027 – January 23, 2028 · See venue
Drew Colby's official hand-shadow calendar lists a public GOP Bonn engagement from November 12, 2027 through January 23, 2028.
At home
Annual moments to learn, make, and share shadow stories.
Saturday, October 17, 2026 · All day
Shadow puppetry is UNESCO-protected world heritage
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · All day
Before cartoons, there were shadows — the original animation
Saturday, October 31, 2026 · All day
Make your own haunted shadow puppet show
Saturday, November 7, 2026 · All day
One thousand years of Indonesian shadow puppetry
Monday, December 21, 2026 · All day
The darkest day of the year — grab a flashlight and make some shadows