After their weekend two performance at the the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, a group of puppets walked off the stage and took to the field at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, partying and listening to music with the rest of the festival crowd.
But these weren’t just any puppets, these were members of the Bob Baker Marionettes.
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Performers from the Bob Baker Marionette Theater interact with attendees during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
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Performers from the Bob Baker Marionette Theater interact with attendees during the opening day of Weekend one of Coachella music and arts festival in Indio on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, Contributing Photographer)
“This is so much fun. We just wrapped up our performance and now we get to celebrate with the crowd,” said MJ Thompson, director of communications for the Bob Baker Marionette Theater as she walked around the Gobi tent with a few puppets after their afternoon set Friday. The group was also joined by Irish singer CMAT during their Gobi performance.
Founded in 1963 and with the title of being the longest continuously running puppet theater in the U.S., the Bob Baker Marionettes performed the biggest show in the troupe’s history at both weekends of Coachella.
Coachella has always stood out for unusual and surprising acts, including the unforgettable Tupac Shakur hologram set in 2012 with projections of the late rapper appearing with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, as well as Kanye West’s “Sunday Service” performance on Easter morning in 2019 and Danny Elfman’s 2022 Coachella set when he performed reimagined versions of music from “Batman,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Nightmare Before Christmas,” and “The Simpsons.” The puppets however went a step further as they walked around the venue at various stages after the troupe’s set.
“The reaction from people has been pretty magical. Everyone wants to take a photo,” Thompson said.
One of the festival goers who rushed to take pictures with the puppets was Los Angeles resident Maria Alvarado.
“It’s so cool to see them hanging out and in the crowd,” she said.