Manipulate Festival

Returning to a full international edition in February 2026, Manipulate Festival is back with a jam-packed week full of stunning visuals, extraordinary stories and innovation in form!

About Manipulate Festival

	4th Feb 2026 to 10th Feb 2026
	See event website for details
	Various Locations Edinburgh
	See event website for details
	Event organiser/part of Manipulate Festival
	Visit the event website here
	Facebook information can be found here
	Follow manipulatearts on Instagram

Listed Under Theatre Events / Days Out Events / Family and Kids Events / Film Events / Nights Out Events

A celebration of excellence in visual theatre, puppetry and animated film, the festival features a thrilling mix of acclaimed international performances and bold new Scottish creations, alongside an expanded animated film programme presented for the very first time at Edinburgh’s iconic Filmhouse.

Breakdancing bugs, candyfloss puppets, live woodworking, stick men in the midst of an existential crisis, an illuminated octopus and a vodka-fuelled concert about death are just a few of the extraordinary delights awaiting you at this year’s festival. Whilst our work is primarily aimed at an adult audience, this year will also see a significant expansion of our community programme, with additional family activities taking place across Edinburgh in the weeks leading up to and following the festival. For professional artists there are also a range of training, networking and development opportunities on offer to develop your skills and expand your horizons.

Whatever you choose to attend at Manipulate, we hope to offer you a little something of the unexpected, and we look forward to welcoming you there in February.

Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.

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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Other Events at Various Venues or Manipulate Festival

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.

Theatre

Manipulate Festival: 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.

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