The International Puppet Festival of Kalamata, an innovative initiative for southern Greece, has established itself as a major cultural institution. It is organised on a voluntary, non-profit basis by the people of the Experimental Stage of Kalamata with a view to promoting culture in the region, and specifically the magical art of puppet theatre.

The fifth Puppet Festival was held between 29 September and 10 October 2021. It involved 24 troupes and 56 puppet-theatre artists who presented 42 shows, 3 creative workshops, 2 major actions and 3 puppet exhibitions.