Teatro dei Fauni

The Enchanted Castle is an international puppet theatre festival founded in 1998. The quality of the program as well as the evocative setting of the squares of the villages on the shores of Lake Maggiore, in the valleys and in the court of the Visconti Castle in Locarno, draw a large audience.

The popular character of the events, the informal reception and festive evenings make it interesting even for those who do not attend the theatres. In some villages there are still those who takes the chair from home.

The shows include traditional puppet theatre as well as shows in which this art is mixed with other kinds of scenic art (actors, live music, dance). The comparison between tradition and innovation in puppetry is one of the main themes of the festival.

Often, the evening begins with the laboratory of construction of puppets on the fly, in an hour the audience builds with the material provided by the festival a puppet, every night different puppet which you can bring home. During the festival are also held workshops for children and adults by the Teatro dei Fauni and guest other artists.

The “Lifetime achievement award” to a puppeteer was awarded in

1. 2009 to Vrene Ryser from Basel
2. 2010 to Walter Broggini, Italy
3. 2011 to Gigio Brunello, Italy
4. 2012 to Armando Morales, Cuba
5. 2014 to UNIMA Suisse
6. 2015 to Tadeusz Wierzbicki, Poland
7. 2016 to Abani Biswas, Milòn Mèla, India