A COLOURFUL array of characters will fill the Boo Theatre at Waterfoot for the annual Puppet Festival.

The Waterfoot venue, home to the world-renowned Horse and Bamboo theatre company, will once again be hosting the family-friendly festival which runs on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17.

There are also additional shows for grown-ups - Theatre Ballads, an evening performance that blends animation, puppetry, story-telling and song on Thursday, July 14 at 8pm and then on the Friday night at 7.45pm, Coulrophobia – a funny, surreal show for grown-ups by Pickled Image about two anarchic clowns.

The festival gets going in earnest on Saturday, July 16. There will be shows for the very young such as Duvet Day, Clay Time, POM and Midnight and Anna as well as shows for older children and their families like Recycled Rubbish by Theatre Rites, the animated The Adventures Of Prince Achmed and Theatre of Widdershins take on the classic tale The Elves And The Shoemaker.

There'll also be many free activities taking place over the weekend. On Saturday these include street performances Ye Gods - where actors tower over a model town - and Clapperbox - where the public become both audience and puppeteers. Plus there will be parade-making craft sessions, live music, walkabout performances and extra-special 'theatre for one' shows.

On Sunday, July 17, there will be Sparkle by Puppetship for the very young plus two shows for older children, The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean and the uplifting story of The Man Who Planted Trees. There'll also be another chance to catch POM and Midnight and Anna.

Sunday's free fun activities include the inventive puppetry of In The Bellows, Horse and Bamboo's very own creation Special Delivery and a chance to meet Polish puppeteer Lukasz Puczko's delightful creation Burek.

Then at 4pm, families can take part in the circus parade and display the fabulous creations they've made over the weekend.

As part of the festival, the Boo will also be offering a three-day puppet-making and performance course for adults, taught by puppeteer Marc Parrett

Alison Duddle, joint artistic director of Horse and Bamboo, said: "This year's festival is going to be the most exciting yet. We'll be hosting some of the best puppetry in the UK, with quirky, funny and beautiful shows for families, hilarious, anarchic work for adults and sweet and wonderful shows for babies and toddlers and their carers.

"As always, in addition to the ticketed shows there will be a weekend-long programme of brilliant free music, puppetry and craft for everyone in our garden and beyond. We're also inviting some of our favourite food vendors to keep you sustained – and we'll still have our very own pop-up café with delicious homemade cake and snacks."

Horse and Bamboo Puppet Festival, The Boo, Waterfoot. Full details from www.horseandbamboo.org or call 01706 220241 during office hours.