A troupe of puppets is traveling across NYC this season

Raising a city kid can get quite expensive, and this free attraction is here to help! 

CityParks PuppetMobile is returning to parks and public spaces across the city with its original family-friendly marionette production, Little Red's Hood. The traveling puppet troupe will perform in all five boroughs, starting this May and running through October. 

Little Red’s Hood is a fresh retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood tale updated with modern twists to appeal to New York City kids and families. The performances are offered in English, Spanish and Mandarin in select locations. In this story, Little Red is a smart, young city dweller who is obsessed with her smartphone. And that's where the fictional part comes in: Wulfric, a misunderstood wolf with a sweet tooth, crosses paths with Little Red en route to deliver her grandma cupcakes. Just like a delay on the express train, trouble naturally ensues. Little Red's story offers a comical lesson on the importance of disconnecting from our digital lives and enjoying real life moments with friends and family.

The production features a dozen, hand-made marionettes crafted by the expert puppeteers from the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre.

“The PuppetMobile is always a great source of joy for children and adults in parks all over New York City, and this summer will be no different,” said Bruce Cannon, Artistic Director of the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre. “Little Red’s Hood was such a big hit that there was no question of bringing it back this year with a full season of performances." 

A full list of dates, shows and times for the 80+ CityParks PuppetMobile performances from May through August can be found online. Additional performances in September and October will be released at a later date and applications are still open to bring the PuppetMobile to your local park. 

English performances kick off on Tuesday, May 3 at 3 p.m. at McGolrick Park in Greenpoint. The first Mandarin performance will be on Sunday, May 16 at 3 p.m. in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The first Spanish performance will be on Thursday, July 7 at 1 p.m. in J. Hood Wright Park in Washington Heights, preceded by an 11 a.m. English language performance, so bilingual kids can enjoy a double feature!