The 10th International İzmir Puppet Festival, one of the biggest annual puppet festivals, will kick off on March 3 and run until April 9. The festival will host 58 puppet companies from 32 different countries and will bring together 100,000 people in the colorful world of puppets. In addition to puppet performances, the International İzmir Puppet Festival will also feature exhibitions, panel sessions, symposiums and workshops.

The festival will host various shows geared toward different age groups, featuring the second Kipa Shopping Mall Puppet Festival, held between March 12 and March 20 at the Kipa Shopping Malls in İzmir's Çiğli and Balçova districts, which will host puppet companies from Bulgaria, France, Spain, Japan, Russia, Slovenia and Taiwan. All shows in the Kipa Shopping Mall Puppet Festival will be free of charge and entertain viewers ages 7 to 70.

One of the most important cultural events in İzmir, the 10th International İzmir Puppet Days will bring the doyens of the art of puppetry to Turkey. Spanish puppeteer Jordi Bertran will present his three-act show, which he prepared in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the legendary character, "Charlot." For further information about the International İzmir Puppet Festival, you can visit www.izmirkuklagunleri.com.