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Union Internationale de la Marionnette

Non-Governmental Organization affiliated to UNESCO

World Puppetry Day 2026 in Charleville-Mézières

Last updated: 09-03-2026

World Puppetry Day 2026

In Charleville-Mézières, the Ardennes and Reims

March 18–26, 2026

⬇ Download Programme (PDF)

This year, World Puppetry Day is brilliantly highlighted by the puppeteer Yaya Coulibaly, a Malian artist whose heart is as great as his renown! UNIMA thanks him for accepting our invitation to write and illustrate the international message, and above all for joining us in the Ardennes for a week of celebrations.

This rare visit by such a great master of African puppetry gives full meaning to our international association, allowing communities across the entire region to discover the art and stories of Mali, through numerous artistic and convivial encounters: demonstrations, lectures, screenings…

You will also be able to discover other activities offered by the many partners of World Puppetry Day in Charleville-Mézières, the Ardennes and Reims, including performances, films, exhibitions, workshops and more to celebrate this event that is both unique and worldwide.

Free or very affordable, these activities are open to audiences of all generations. Together, let us celebrate the light of life! Let us celebrate the living arts! Let us celebrate puppetry!

Louise Lapointe, President of UNIMA — Fabrizio Montecchi, Secretary General of UNIMA

World Puppetry Day around the World

An international event coordinated by UNIMA, celebrated every year around the world.

Since its creation in 2003, World Puppetry Day has been an essential gathering for all puppeteers and UNIMA national centres across the globe. It is even more so for UNIMA International, which inspired its creation and distributes each year, worldwide, a poster and a message written by a prominent international figure.

This Day is an opportunity to collectively promote the diversity of the puppetry arts as widely as possible. UNIMA intends to strengthen this event and, in the coming years, to create a major activity in Charleville-Mézières and the Ardennes over several days around March 21.

World Puppetry Day around the World →

Guest of Honour 2026: Yaya Coulibaly

Puppeteer – Magician – Keeper of Traditions

Yaya Coulibaly

Puppeteer, storyteller, magician and musician, Yaya Coulibaly was born in 1959 in Koula, Mali. A direct descendant of Biton Coulibaly, King of Ségou, he was initiated early into mystical knowledge and inherited a vast body of teaching concerning puppet theatre.

Heir to an ancient collection of nearly 25,000 puppets, he has become a passionate guardian of the Bamanan tradition, one of the oldest and richest in Africa. In 1980, he founded the Sogolon troupe, which promotes theatrical creation drawing on Bamanan, Somono and Bozo influences through the art of puppetry.

His puppet theatre conveys a message of solidarity, peace and tolerance — the fundamental values of UNIMA International.

Learn more about Yaya Coulibaly →

March 21 — Official Day

Charleville-Mézières — Ecole National Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette – Margareta Niculescu (ESNAM)

📞 By reservation
Pôle International de la Marionnette — 03 24 33 72 50 · contact@marionnette.com
UNIMA — 03 68 89 04 78 · contact@unima.org

Yaya Coulibaly – Keynote Lecture

◆ Keynote Lecture & Screening — 3:00 PM

Puppetry holds an essential place in Mali’s cultural heritage, where it continues to be widely practiced. Yaya Coulibaly will introduce us to its history—rooted in that of the African continent as a whole—and to its various forms: sacred, semi-sacred, traditional, and popular. He will highlight the social function of puppetry in transmitting cultural and moral values, and will explain the fundamental role of animals in performances.

Yaya Coulibaly, Puppeteer and Magician – Film

Keynote lecture followed by a screening of the film:
Yaya Coulibaly, Puppeteer and Magician
A film by Christian Lajoumard
A documentary portrait of this exceptional artist, exploring the sacred, traditional and contemporary dimensions of Malian puppetry through his life and work.

Friendship Reception — 5:30 PM
Hosted by the Pôle International de la Marionnette – Jacques Félix.

Events with Yaya Coulibaly

Encounters • Demonstrations • Screenings • Workshops

🟡 Free activities

From March 18 to 25, Yaya Coulibaly will meet local audiences — young and old — in Charleville-Mézières, the Ardennes and Reims, sharing the world of Malian puppetry.

  • The Bestiary of Malian Puppets — Demonstration & exchange
    Charleville-Mézières, Médiathèque de la Ronde Couture — Wed. 18 March | 2:30–4:30 PM
    Reims, Gourbi Parallèle — Wed. 25 March | 3:00–5:00 PM
  • Yaya Coulibaly, Puppeteer and Magician — Screening & talk
    Sedan, Amphithéâtre Pierre Mendès France — 18 March | 6:30 PM
    Charleville-Mézières, Centre social André Dhôtel — 24 March | 6:00 PM
  • When the Animal Comes Out — Masks of Mali workshop — Workshop held in conjunction with the artist’s presence. – Ages 6+
    Musée de l’Ardenne — 18 & 25 March | 2:30 PM
  • Breakfast with Yaya Coulibaly — for professional artists
    Reims, Jardin Parallèle — 25 March | 10:00–11:00 AM

Cultural Actions

  • Meetings with middle school students from Sedan
    Sedan — Collège Le Lac et Turenne
  • Masterclass with ESNAM students
    Charleville-Mézières — ESNAM
  • Small and Great Migrations
    Ecordal

Also on the Programme

Performances • Workshops • Exhibitions

🟡 Free or affordable activities

As every year, UNIMA coordinates the week surrounding World Puppetry Day and brings together cultural stakeholders from Charleville-Mézières, the Ardennes department, and Reims in order to promote their work and activities.

Workshops, performances, meetings, exhibitions, screenings, and a tour are thus offered both in the city and in rural areas, for general audiences and school groups alike, with the aim of giving true visibility to the art of puppetry—for the delight of both young and old, everywhere and for everyone, at prices that allow all to take part.

Performances

  • Trompette – Cie du Rouge Gorge — Shadow theatre, music & booth – Ages 2+
    Charleville-Mézières, Forum — Wed. 18 March | 10 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM
  • Notos, the Breath of Wind – Cie Atipik — Musical installation for toddlers
    Monthermé, Médiathèque — Fri. 20 March | 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM
    Raucourt et Flaba, Médiathèque — Sat. 21 March | 10 AM, 11 AM
  • Black or White – Papierthéâtre Company — Initiatory walk & graphic universe
    Liart, Salle Polyvalente — Tue. 24 March | 6:30 PM
  • Subjectif Lune – Les Maladroits Company — Theatre / Object / Video – Ages 12 and up
    Charleville-Mézières, Theatre — Thu. March 26 | 8:00 PM
  • Barionnette – Students of the École nationale supérieure des arts de la marionnette – Marionette aperitif – Ages 12 and up
    Charleville-Mézières, Foyer — Thu. March 26 | 7:15 PM
  • What is the purpose of your visit? – POP Company — Poetic experiences and short formats, impromptus
    Reims, American Memorial Hospital — Mon. March 23 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Trompette – Cie du Rouge Gorge
Notos – Cie Atipik
Subjectif Lune – Cie Les Maladroits

Workshops

  • Trompette, of balances, Cie du Rouge Gorge — Artistic awakening workshop & baby theatre – For ages 6 months to 3 years
    Charleville-Mézières, Observatoire Communal de la Lecture Publique
  • Shadow theatre workshop, Lucas Sivignon – Le Jardin Parallèle — Shadow play and silhouette creation
    Reims, Gourbi Parallèle — Wed. March 18 | 3:00–5:00 PM
  • Ombre and Objects, Elisza Peressoni, Cie En Liesse — Manipulation and storytelling – Ages 7 and up
    Charleville-Mézières, École nationale supérieure des arts de la marionnette — Sat. March 21 | 2:00–5:00 PM
  • Discovery puppetry workshops – Bibliothèque Départementale des Ardennes — Open to all
    Anaïs Aubry – Cie Radiator Lady
    Bairon-et-ses-Environs, Espace Jean Moreaux — Wed. 18 March | 10:00 AM
    Luana Montabonel – Collectif Triskaidekaphile
    Signy-l’Abbaye, Médiathèque Yves Coppens — Wed. 18 March | 2:00 PM
    Chooz, Médiathèque Apostrophe — Sat. 21 March | 10:00 AM
    Ève Bigontina – Cie XannaX Princesse Guerrière
    Donchery, Médiathèque de Donchery — Sat. 21 March | 2:00 PM
    Rethel, Médiathèque Agora — Wed. 25 March | 2:00 PM
Shadow Theatre Workshop
Le Jardin Parallèle

Exhibitions

  • Dive Behind the Puppet Booth! — Immersive exhibition on puppetry history & techniques
    Chooz, Médiathèque Apostrophe — 3–20 March
    Rethel, Médiathèque Agora — 23 March–18 April
  • Small and Great Migrations — Puppet bestiary made by students
    Attigny, Médiathèque André Dhôtel — 21 March
  • Memories in Paper Theatre — School projects transformed into paper theatre
    Liart, Maison de la Thiérache — 19 March–2 April
  • Puppetry on display – An innovative marionette to contemplate
    Charleville-Mézières, La Plaque Tournante — March 17–28
Exhibition – Puppet Booth
Exhibition – Paper Theatre

Guided Tour

  • Équipées belles — Guided tour of the École nationale supérieure des arts de la marionnette – Open to all
    Charleville-Mézières, Pôle International de la Marionnette – Jacques Felix — Sat. March 21 | 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM

Cultural Actions

  • Cinema and Puppets — School screenings followed by discussions and activity sheets
    Charleville-Mézières — Musée de l’Ardenne
  • Trompette – Cie du Rouge Gorge — Shadow theatre, music & booth – Ages 2+
    Ecordal — Salle des fêtes
Barionnette
Noir ou blanc

Venues & Partners in 2026

Many partners have come together in 2026 to bring World Puppetry Day to life in Charleville-Mézières, the Ardennes and Reims. Each of them is committed during this week of festivities to offering free or very affordable activities for residents and families across the territory.

📍 Charleville-Mézières

  • Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette – Margareta Niculescu

  • La Plaque Tournante

  • Musée de l’Ardenne

  • Médiathèque de la Ronde Couture

  • Forum

  • Centre social André Dhôtel

  • Observatoire Communale de la Lecture Publique

  • TCM – Théâtre de Charleville-Mézières

📍 Ardennes

  • Sedan — Amphithéâtre Pierre Mendès France

  • Sedan — MJC Calonne

  • Monthermé — Médiathèque
  • Raucourt et Flaba — Médiathèque
  • Liart — Salle polyvalente / Maison de la Thiérache
  • Attigny — Médiathèque André Dhôtel
  • Bairon-et-ses-Environs — Espace Jean Moreaux
  • Donchery — Médiathèque
  • Rethel — L’AGORA Médiathèque-Musée du Pays Rethélois
  • Signy-l’Abbaye — Médiathèque Centre Social Yves Coppens
  • Chooz — Médiathèque Apostrophe

📍 Reims

  • American Memorial Hospital

  • Jardin Parallèle
  • Gourbi Parallèle

Partners of World Puppetry Day 2026

UNIMA – Union Internationale de la Marionnette, Ardenne Métropole – Réseau des médiathèques, Ardennes Thiérache, Bibliothèque départementale des Ardennes (BDA), Centre social André Dhôtel, Cie Méandres, Cie Papierthéâtre, Cie POP, Collège Rouget de Lisle (Charleville-Mézières), Collèges Le Lac et Turenne (Sedan), Commune d’Ecordal, Cultures du Coeur Champagne-Ardennes, Espace Jean Moreaux (Bairon-et-ses-Environs), La Pellicule Ensorcelée, Le Jardin Parallèle, Les Crêtes Préardennaises, Médiathèque Agora (Rethel), Médiathèque André Dhôtel (Attigny), Médiathèque Apostrophe (Chooz), Médiathèque Centre social Yves Coppens (Signy-l’Abbaye), Médiathèque de Donchery, Médiathèque de la Ronde Couture (Charleville-Mézières), Médiathèque de Monthermé, Médiathèque de Raucourt et Flaba, MJC Calonne, Pôle International de la Marionnette – Jacques Félix, Ville de Charleville-Mézières : Forum, Micro-Folie de Charleville-Mézières, Musée de l’Ardenne, Observatoire Communal de la Lecture Publique, Théâtre de Charleville-Mézières (TCM), Ville de Sedan.

Communication Materials

Press Dossier (PDF)

TOGETHER, LET US CELEBRATE THE LIGHT OF LIFE!
Let us celebrate the living arts! Let us celebrate puppetry!