Morgana Festival

The 50th Morgana Festival (2025)

From 6 to 16 November 2025, Palermo hosted the 50th edition of the Morgana Festival, an important milestone for one of Italy's longest-running figure theatre festivals. The 50th-anniversary edition brought all the disruptive magic of Asia to Sicily, with a rich programme of performances, exhibitions, and meetings.

Among the protagonists were Indonesian companies performing Wayang Suket and Wayang Potehi from Java, string puppets from the Shuangfeng Company in China, dance and puppets by Spanish choreographer Maricruz Planchuelo, as well as guests from Palestine and the unmissable Sicilian Opera dei Pupi with the Brigliadoro Company. The programme also included the study day "Figures of Alterity. Myths, Rites and Music in Chinese and Southeast Asian Theatre", alongside conferences and exhibitions.

Events took place between the Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum, the former Church of S. Mattia ai Crociferi, the Cavallerizza of Palazzo Cefalà, and Palazzo Belmonte Riso. Performances at the Museum required a nominal ticket of 2 euros with mandatory booking, while numerous events offered free admission until capacity was reached.