For the benefit of both my own memory, and for my readers, I present a basic itinerary of my trip to the US in July. This will be updated as more details are available from festival organisers and my own sightseeing bookings are made. Time will be set aside to visit the NPF exhibition, the puppet store, and other unscheduled festival events. Head to the National Puppetry Festival website for more info on shows/films/workshops. UPDATE: Each day’s diary post is linked to the relevant listings below. Click on the link to read about that day’s activities; reviews are linked below where relevant. You can also find a festival wrap up, with reviews tallied and highlights discussed, here.

Date/Day	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
11th/Sat	Flight to Atlanta; thanks to weirdness of time zones, I arrive on the 11th despite being a day behind in the US. Check in at first hotel
12th/Sun	Sightseeing in Atlanta; get bearings, check out Georgia Tech (where the festival is located)
13th/Mon	Checkout first hotel; check in at second. Tour of Fox Theatre; lunch at Mary Mac’s.
14th/Tues	Sightseeing/Head to festival, drop off puppets for exhibition	Opening of NPF; afternoon performance Nosferatu Show cancelled; replaced with Emporer’s New Clothes, which I didn’t end up going to. Instead I watched several puppet films	First festival dinner/Evening performances Mallory Lewis and Lambchop As I Lay Dying
15th/Wed	Workshop: Word-working, dramatic dialogue for the puppet Workshop: Costume puppet character design and performance	Attended the puppet shop Afternoon performances The Box? A Show of Feelings Alonzo’s Lullaby and Danny the Diver	Festival dinner/Evening performances True Story of the Three Little Pigs Panther & Crane Potpourri, which I didn’t attend
16th/Thurs	Workshop: Lightweight marionette bodies using papier mache Workshop: Meet the artist (forum)	Attended the puppet exhibition and ‘Traffle’ Afternoon performances Cinderella in Muddy York Rainbow Bridge and Other Tales	Festival dinner/Evening performances The Dragon King El Hombre Ciguena Puppet Cabaret, which I didn’t attend
17th/Fri	Workshop: Control mechanisms for rod and shadow puppets Workshop: Messing with Wayang	Afternoon performances Poli Degaine, show delayed, exchanged for Entertaining a Thought The Day it Snowed Tortillas	Festival dinner/Evening performances An Evening with John Tartaglia La Muela del Rey Farfan Potpourri, which I didn’t attend
18th/Sat	Morning/Afternoon performances Jim Henson Day (incl. Center of Puppetry Arts tours) The Little Pirate Mermaid Secrets History Remembers Entertaining a Thought Poli Degaine		Festival dinner/Evening performances Awards ceremony Bride Closing night reception, which I attended for all of 5 minutes
19th/Sun	Festival closes (job fair, which I didn’t attend)	Slept most of day
20th/Mon	Sightseeing; took the City Segway tour of Atlanta, terrible meal at Varsity
21st/Tues	Check out 2nd hotel, went to Georgia Aquarium and Olympic Centennial Park		Travel to Washington DC via Amtrak
22nd/Wed	Arrive in Washinton DC/Check in 3rd hotel		Get bearings in DC/Sightseeing; went on moonlight trolley tour
23rd/Thurs	Sightseeing Skipped tour in favour of resting and relaxing nerves; got free umbrella by nice DC stranger
24th/Fri	Sightseeing; cruise to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington
25th/Sat	Check out 3rd hotel; visit the Air and Space Museum/see film on black holes		Travel home!
26th/Sun	Still on plane… (Also missing mum’s birthday)
27th/Mon	Arrive home… sleep for five days