Bermondsey Puppet & Storytelling Festival 2026

We are delighted to present a day of storytelling and puppetry in Spa Gardens, Bermondsey. Featuring puppets and performances made by the community, with dazzling headline performances by Storytellers from around the word. Bring your puppets or make one on the day!

If you have made a puppet in one of our community workshops, be sure to bring it along for the story. You will also have the chance to make something on the day.

An inclusive, accessible celebration with performances, workshops, music, face painting and food and drink.

Main stage timetable (exact times might vary) :

12 noon Bernadette Russell (Trees for Bermondsey)

12.45 Richard Handley (“Mr Bones”)

1.15 Emily Hanna (Irish Storytelling) Bring your faeries!

2pm Marianna Portella (Brazillian Storytelling) with live music by George Hoyle ) Bring your birds!

2.45 Community Performance A live story and puppet performance with students from City of London Academy, Harris Academy Bermondsey and participation from Bede Centre and local youth clubs. Facilitated by Minnie Wilkinson and Simon Lyshon.

3.30 Usifu Jalloh and Saidi Kanda (African storytelling and music) Bring your bugs!

We are delighted to present a day of storytelling and puppetry in Spa Gardens, Bermondsey. Featuring puppets and performances made by the community, with dazzling headline performances by Storytellers from around the word. Bring your puppets or make one on the day!

A new family-friendly community festival is coming to Southwark in summer 2026 and everyone is invited to take part. Bermondsey Puppet & Story Fest will start this May with a programme of free puppetry and storytelling workshops leading to a large outdoor finale event in Bermondsey Spa Gardens featuring Usifu Jalloh, Emily Hanna, Marrianna Portello and Bernadette Russell on 12 - 5pm Sunday 12 July 2026.

Free hands-on workshops will take place in schools, community venues and public spaces, giving people of all ages and abilities the chance to make puppets, share stories and learn the secrets of puppetry and storytelling. Ideas and creations from these sessions will contribute towards the final show in in Bermondsey Spa Gardens on Sunday 12 July 2026 and everyone will be invited to join in on the day. We will be working with Appleby Blue, Bede House, City of London Academy, Harris Academy Bermondsey, St James Primary School and many more local groups, please check newsletters for details.

The festival will also feature free drop-in workshops and performances at The Blue Market, running alongside its summer events programme, including Russell Dryden Day (30 May) and Okinawa Days (20 June).

Our team of internationally renowned artists, puppeteers and storyteller will reveal the secrets of their trade during a series of workshops and demonstrations. All ages and abilities can get involved – tell a tale about life in South London, make your own puppets, learn the puppeteer’s secrets that bring a show to life or just be our appreciative audience - we have something for everyone to do.

The programme will culminate in a large-scale, free outdoor celebration in Bermondsey Spa Gardens, bringing together internationally renowned storytellers from around the world alongside local artists to share stories inspired by Bermondsey and South London.

Designed to be inclusive and accessible, the festival celebrates storytelling and puppetry as art forms that cross language, cultural and generational boundaries. All events will be free to attend, with step-free access and a welcoming, community-focused atmosphere.

Supported by Blue Bermondsey BID, Connection With Wonder, Collaborative Arts CIC and Southwark Cultural Celebration Fund, Bermondsey Puppet & Story Fest builds on a strong track record of delivering successful cultural events in Southwark. The festival is brought to you by the team behind London Dreamtime Storytelling and Illuminate Bermondsey & Rotherhithe.

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