YOGYAKARTA, 6 - 11 OCTOBER 2026

HOLDING HANDS
A simple gesture that carries affection, trust, care, and solidarity.

We hold hands to stay close. To guide and be guided. To offer support, to build trust, or simply to remind each other that we are not alone.

In a world where borders continue to rise, people retreat into their own frames, and polarization grows louder, this simple gesture feels more urgent than ever.

Puppetry, at its heart, is an art of connection. It asks us to give life to something beyond ourselves—to listen, respond, collaborate, and imagine together. A puppet often comes alive through many hands: making, moving, supporting, and sharing a single breath. In this sense, puppetry quietly teaches us that creation does not always begin with the self. Sometimes, it begins by reaching toward another.

For Pesta Boneka #10, **HOLDING HANDS** is both a metaphor and an action.

It is an invitation to reach beyond our own boundaries, to make room for different voices and perspectives, and to rediscover what becomes possible when we choose to create, listen, and stand together.

In 2026, this spirit carries two journeys at once: **20 years of Papermoon Puppet Theatre and the 10th edition of Pesta Boneka.** Two milestones shaped by countless encounters, collaborations, friendships, and hands that have held one another along the way.

HOLDING HANDS is our reminder of our shared humanity—and our invitation to keep moving forward, together.