Manipulate Festival

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

About Manipulate Festival

	, Various Locations Edinburgh
	Manipulate Festival Website
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Listed Under Attractions - Festivals

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.

We take every opportunity to ensure the details for Manipulate Festival are accurate, if any of the above information is incorrect we would appreciate if you could take a minute to suggest an edit.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.

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Upcoming Events at Manipulate Festival

Theatre

Kar

4th February 2026 - 5th February 2026

Studio Theatre, Edinburgh South

Blending object theatre, physical comedy, and explosive live music, Kar is a riotous reimagining of a literary classic like you've never seen before, don't miss it at the Studio Theatre!

Theatre

Manipulate Festival: Coffee With Sugar?

4th February 2026 - 5th February 2026

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh West

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

Theatre

Manipulate Festival: Size Matters

5th February 2026 - 6th February 2026

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh West

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

Theatre

The Raft of the Crab

6th February 2026

Studio Theatre, Edinburgh South

The Raft of the Crab at Edinburgh's Studio Theatre is a genre-defying journey through pain, perseverance and play, told with rare honesty and theatrical imagination.

Theatre

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

7th February 2026 - 8th February 2026

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh West

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.

Dance

Manipulate Festival: The Rite of Spring

7th February 2026 - 8th February 2026

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh West

Theatre

Snapshots

8th February 2026

Studio Theatre, Edinburgh South

Part of the Manipulate Festival, Snapshots is a platform for artists based in Scotland to try out new or developing work across puppetry, circus, physical theatre, visual theatre and dance!

Theatre

Tell Me

9th February 2026 - 10th February 2026

Studio Theatre, Edinburgh South

The Scottish Premiere of Tell Me, a striking fusion of circus, dance and theatre from one of Scotland's most exciting young voices in contemporary performance comes to the Studio Theatre.

Theatre

Manipulate Festival: The Wood Paths

9th February 2026 - 10th February 2026

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh West

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

Festivals

Portobello Book Festival

, Various Locations Portobello

Portobello Book Festival is a volunteer run festival, taking place over the first weekend of October.

Festivals

Curious: A free festival of knowledge

The Royal Society Of Edinburgh 22 - 26 George Street, Edinburgh New Town EH2 2PQ

Curious is the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s annual festival of knowledge – a free, open-to-all celebration of ideas, discovery, and conversation.

Festivals

Falastin Film Festival

Scottish Storytelling Centre 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1SR

Falastin Film Festival (FFF) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit collective of Palestinians and allies dedicated to bringing Palestinian art to the Edinburgh and Highland audiences.

Festivals

Scottish International Storytelling Festival

, Various Locations Edinburgh

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival returns from 22nd October to 1st November 2025 with the theme 'Lights of the North'.

Festivals

Red, Red Rose Street

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Red Red Rose Street returns for 2018 with a festival of Burns’ music and words running from 25th - 27th January.

Festivals

FuturePlay Festival

54 George Street, Edinburgh New Town EH2 2LR

Formerly the Edinburgh Digital Entertainment Festival, FuturePlay is on from the 3rd to 26th August.

Festivals

Audacious Women Festival

Audacious Women Festival , Various Locations Edinburgh

Audacious Women Festival encourages and empowers women to break personal, political, institutional barriers, and celebrates inspirational women.

Festivals

First Stages Festival

Traverse Theatre 10 Cambridge Street, Edinburgh West EH1 2ED

The Traverse kicks off its 2022 programme with a wide range of interactive workshops and Q&As, in-person readings and creative prompts for first time writers to seasoned theatremakers.

Festivals