Who knew puppets were so popular? Many think the art of puppetry is reserved for childrens TV shows. Turns out, however, they’re mistaken: The 18th annual Utah Puppetry Festival takes place this week, and you can’t maintain a festival for 18 years without a pretty significant following.

The day is more like a convention than a “festival,” with several classes set up throughout the day on everything from the history of puppetry to ventriloquism. The main attractions are the performances by puppeteers from Utah and around the country.

For those who think that puppetry is the polar opposite of anything interesting, consider the fact that one professional puppeteer coming to perform this year worked on Team America: World Police, the uber-offensive marionette movie from the creators of South Park. With people like that at the festival, who knows what might happen?

Utah Puppetry Festival @ The pARTnership Gallery, 534 S. 500 West, 801-484- 7758, Saturday, April 25, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. UtahPuppetry.com