Penang Puppet Festival 2026 檳城偶戲節 2026

BERBUNGA | 生花

Penang Puppet Festival (PPF) returns from 12–23 August 2026 with its third edition, BERBUNGA (生花), celebrating puppetry as a living tradition that continues to grow, adapt and inspire across generations.

The festival opens with a historic gathering of representatives from five regions where Hokkien glove puppetry (POTEHI) continues to flourish—Penang, Jakarta, Singapore, Taipei and Zhangzhou (Fujian)—marking the first time these living traditions come together in Southeast Asia.

Over 12 days, audiences can experience performances, exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, forums and community programmes featuring diverse forms of puppetry, including POTEHI, Teochew iron-rod puppetry, Wayang Kulit Kelantan, contemporary puppetry and shadow theatre.

More than a celebration of performance, PPF 2026 creates a platform for intercultural dialogue, artistic exchange and heritage transmission, inviting audiences to discover how traditional puppetry continues to bloom in the contemporary world.

檳城偶戲節（Penang Puppet Festival, PPF）將於 2026 年 8 月 12 至 23 日舉行，以「生花 BERBUNGA」為主題，透過演出、交流與創作，展現偶戲作為活態文化，如何在不同土地持續生長、傳承與創新。

本屆偶戲節將迎來東南亞首次——來自檳城、雅加達、新加坡、臺北及福建漳州五個仍延續閩南布袋戲（POTEHI）傳承的地區代表齊聚檳城，共同呈現同源文化在不同社會與歷史脈絡下所發展出的多元風貌。

十二天的節目涵蓋布袋戲、潮州鐵枝木偶、吉蘭丹皮影戲、當代偶戲及影子戲等多元偶戲形式，並設有展覽、講座、工作坊、論壇及社區活動，打造一個連結藝術、文化、教育與國際交流的平台，讓傳統偶戲在當代持續綻放新的生命力。

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OTHER FASCINATING PROGRAMMES

TERANG | Heritage in Motion

Pasar (the Malay word for market) is more than a marketplace—it is a space of exchange where cultures, stories, knowledge, and communities converge. Across Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the pasar has long been a place where traditions evolve through everyday interactions, reflecting the region’s rich diversity and vibrancy. Inspired by this spirit of exchange, “TERANG | Heritage in Motion” invites artists participating in the TERANG Projection Mapping Competition 2026 to reinterpret the pasar through the medium of projection mapping. Heritage architecture becomes a living canvas for storytelling, where light and motion transform familiar façades into immersive, site-responsive narratives. Rather than treating buildings as mere surfaces, artists are encouraged to engage with each structure’s form, history, and character, revealing new perspectives on the places we thought we knew.

TypeChhá @ Jio Ba

A lettering workshop that borrows the idea of chú-chhá (煮炒 / stir-fry): taking everyday local ingredients and dishes, and transforming them into expressive letterforms. Participants will explore lettering by drawing inspiration from local dishes, ingredients, taste, textures, shapes, and colours, firing up their creativity to design letters with a distinct local flavour. A joint collaboration between huruf × 31A Dept. Store. SUITABLE FOR Beginners and anyone who’s interested in typography or lettering design. Fee: RM68* (inclusive of materials) Pax: Small group session (limited spots) * Enjoy a sharing plate of chhá-pūi (fried rice) and a cup of kek hwa as refreshment.

Flamenco Signature

Experience the soul of Spain through “Flamenco Signature”, an intimate and electrifying performance led by internationally acclaimed flamenco artist Anabel Veloso, alongside guitarist and musical director Gabriel Pérez, vocalist José Luis Jaén, and flautist Tete Leal. Blending breathtaking dance, passionate vocals, and virtuosic musicianship, this evocative work honours the essence of traditional flamenco while embracing contemporary expression. A celebration of emotion, beauty, and rhythm, it offers an unforgettable journey into the heart of one of the world’s most captivating art forms.