Giant wizard to spellbind puppet festival crowds

Among the attractions at Beverley Puppet Festival is the Wandering Wizard by Wild Giant Arts

A puppet festival featuring a wizard, dragon and goblin takes place this weekend.

Now in its 11th year, Beverley Puppet Festival runs from Friday to Sunday.

It includes a number of free events as well as theatre shows and a puppet trail.

Anna Ingleby, the festival's co-artistic director, said: "The trail allows people to explore Beverley and the festival in a new way by discovering puppets at locations throughout the town centre."

Dinosaurs and Dragons Alive is one of the acts taking place on Saturday and Sunday

Ms Ingleby said a lot of the puppets in the trail have been created by pupils of Molescroft, Woodmansey and Swinemoor primary schools.

Free outdoor acts take place around the town centre.

Organisers said Wandering Wizard and Glob the Goblin can be seen in Toll Gavel on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Ocho the Octopus and Dinosaurs and Dragons Alive will be in Butcher Row and at the Flemingate Centre on both Saturday and Sunday.

The festival's ticketed indoor shows take place at East Riding Theatre, Beverley Friary & Gardens, Beverley Masonic Hall and Toll Gavel Church.

Festival funding has been secured from Arts Council England, Beverley Town Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Visit Hull and East Yorkshire (VHEY), Wykeland and the Flemingate Centre.

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