Most of us have an underlying penchant for puppets that started in childhood—if only from watching Sesame Street in the mornings—but adulthood comes with a serious lack of puppet shows. Enter the LA Puppet Fest: This first annual event, scheduled to tie in with National Puppetry Week, is a celebration of the art and creativity of things on strings for all ages. A collection of puppetry organizations (there are a lot, believe it or not) will host events all across the city throughout April. Take in a classic marionette show, observe changing puppet technology or take a class to learn how to make and manipulate your very own creature. Highlights include: La, La, La, LA: A Puppet Musical at UCB Theatre, which displays the cons of living in SoCal via puppets; a puppet festival and talk, "Puppet Potpourri," put on by Puppet School at the Skirball Center, which will discuss everything from Muppet-style puppetry to the skill of writing dialogue for puppets; and, naturally, a special variety show from the legendary Bob Baker Marionette Theater, "Pulling Strings & Funny Things." The festival will cap off with a large-scale Million Puppet March parade open to the public and their puppets at the Third Street Promenade. Check the website for a detailed schedule of events.
T.S. Eliot may have believed April is the cruelest month, but Angelenos have plenty of reasons to sing its praises: Festivals in LA kick into high gear this month as the weather warms up. A beer fest at Paramount Studios, dancing in Grand Park, cycling the city streets and our favorite music festival in the desert are all on schedule, rain showers be damned.