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
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.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Edinburgh, click here to find out more!
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