The International Festival of Animated Objects is Calgary’s festival of puppetry, mask and object theatre, held each spring with live performances, film screenings, exhibitions and workshops.
About
The festival brings puppetry, mask and object theatre to Calgary for about a week each spring. Local, national and international artists put on live performances for both family and adult audiences, alongside film screenings, exhibitions and hands-on workshops. The late night Dolly Wiggler Cabaret is one of its signature adult programs.
Puppeteer Xstine Cook founded the festival in 2002 as a project of the Calgary Animated Objects Society. It ran on and off in the early years, then settled into a biennial rhythm before becoming its own non-profit society in 2015. It has run annually since 2022, with the 15th edition in March 2026 and the 16th already set for March 2027.