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Manipulate Festival

The 19th edition of Manipulate Festival will take place between 4th and 10th February 2026.

Manipulate Festival

About Manipulate Festival

, Various Locations Edinburgh
Manipulate Festival Website
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Manipulate Festival is an annual international celebration of excellence in animated film, puppetry and visual theatre, bringing the very best of international and Scottish work to adult audiences of over 3000 across Edinburgh and beyond each February.

The programme features an eclectic range of boundary-pushing performances and screenings across many visual disciplines, creates a platform for creative exchange and discussion, and serves as a home for Scottish artists to experiment with and receive feedback on new ideas.

The Festival has gained recognition nationally and internationally for its innovative curation and unique blend of artforms, including animated film, circus, dance theatre, mime, object theatre, puppetry, physical theatre and visual theatre. The Festival offers an essential moment in the cultural calendar for audiences to gather and form communities of interest, for artists to network and exchange ideas, and for cross-cultural creative exchange between nations.

Upcoming Events at Manipulate Festival

Manipulate Festival: Coffee With Sugar?

4th February 2026 - 5th February 2026

Using thousands of coffee beans, flying candyfloss, biographical fragments, historical sources, video art and live music, ‘Coffee with Sugar?’ is a visually striking performance!

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Manipulate Festival: Size Matters

5th February 2026 - 6th February 2026

Blending puppetry, science, and surrealist theatre, Julia and Mamoru and their puppet doubles explore how time and perception shift with size.

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Manipulate Festival: Don Quixote (is a Very Big Book)

7th February 2026 - 8th February 2026

In his new one-man show, Dik Downey (Green Ginger, Pickled Image, Opposable Thumb) weaves together the crazed delusions of Don Quixote with his own struggle against reality.

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Manipulate Festival: The Wood Paths

9th February 2026 - 10th February 2026

Wood Paths is a celebration of humanity’s endless creativity and our desire to understand, to shape, and to find beauty in the mess.

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Red, Red Rose Street

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While Santa and his elves frolic under snowflakes, something sinister is lurking in the icy caverns of Niddry Street.

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Syn Festival Edinburgh

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Push the Boat Out

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Push the Boat Out returns for 2023. Join us for three epic days, 24th – 26th November, throughout Edinburgh’s iconic Summerhall.

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The Saltire Festival

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All Festivals listings in Edinburgh

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Sponsored Links

Children's Classic Concerts
Local Motive Markets
The Chocolatarium
Open Pass Scotland
WST
Hilton Glasgow
Fayre Play
Escape The Past
Wonder & Co
MNB
Kevin Quantum
ATG
Edinburgh Dungeon
Hostelworld

Popular Events

Edinburgh’s Christmas: The Polar Ice Bar
Take some time to ‘chill’ at the Polar Ice Bar, the coolest bar in the city, where your table, chairs and glasses are sculpted entirely from ice.
Castle Of Light
Make Castle of Light: Fire and Ice part of your festive plans and enjoy the largest annual projection show in the UK when it returns for its sixth year!
Panto 2025: Jack and the Beanstalk
Join Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young for the GIANT of a pantomime we've all BEAN waiting for!
Christmas at Jupiter
Christmas at Jupiter Artland brings together art, landscape and festive tradition across 9 consecutive days from 6th - 14th December, transforming the park into a Festive Village!
Fin Taylor: The Pre-emptive Comeback Special
Fin Taylor brings his sharp, direct, and fearless stand-up to Edinburgh's Queen's Hall on Saturday 31st October as part of his Pre-emptive Comeback Special tour!

Popular Listings

Corn Exchange Haddington Edinburgh Playhouse Festival Theatre Edinburgh Howden Park Centre Livingston Kings Theatre Edinburgh National Museum of Scotland O2 Academy Edinburgh The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh Traverse Theatre Usher Hall