How to Spend Halloween Among Puppets, Protest, and Art: The Bread & Puppet Museum -10/29/25

I could write this blog post on Halloween and its Celtic origins, but I figured I would write about something that wouldn’t get lost in the ether, like a teenage couple in a graveyard in an 80s movie. That isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy Halloween, going trick or treating with our daughter, or even watching scary movies (I love a good one and have plenty of recommendations!). This week though, I have yet another neat topic of which I included some spooky-looking photos, à la Halloween-style! Keep reading… 

In September of 2024, my wife and I went on one of our Vermont adventures and drove to Glover, VT, to see the Bread & Puppet Museum. I chose this trip because I vaguely remember seeing these oversized creepy-looking puppets in a parade in Brattleboro, VT, back in the 1990s, but I hadn’t seen them again until last year after discovering that this museum was due north of us. Needless to say, there was a little bit of nostalgia with this trip, plus some education for me since I was largely unaware of their actual influence and history not just in Vermont, but all up and down the eastern seaboard. 

Founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann in New York City, Bread & Puppet came about by the theater group sharing its very own sourdough rye bread with audiences after a performance, usually accompanied with a garlic-parsley aioli. This was given to thousands of people for free, and is a practice still maintained to this day! In 1970, Peter moved the operation to Glover, VT, where it currently stands. 

Bread & Puppet shows are heavily influenced by politics and current events, such as environmentalism, anti-capitalism, anti-war, climate change, social oppression, etc. If these topics are up your alley and you go to one of their shows, then be prepared for an emotionally heavy experience (plus some free bread!). 

Back to the museum…we arrived and parked, not really knowing what to expect. We noticed one main building with a barn attached, but with all the lights turned off. There was another smaller building not too far away with a light on, so I peeked in the window there and saw one guy making some sort of art. We didn’t want to interrupt his process, so we walked back to the main building and found a woman outside doing some other project with wood. She’s the one who directed us to the actual museum entrance, which was inside the attached barn. “Turn the lights on when you go in, and turn them off when you leave,” she said with a smile. “There’s a storefront inside as well. If you want to buy something, there’s a cash box there to put money in.” Apparently, this was a very trusting place and is a museum that you get to experience entirely on your own. 

We walked past an area with gravel on the ground and a wheelbarrow just hanging out and went through the unassuming museum entrance. As we stepped over the threshold, we immediately noticed the darkness and a chill to the air. I found the light switch, flipped it on, and saw the store area to the left in the 150-year-old creaky wooden structure. The whole scene gave off a spooky vibe, as it was naturally quiet in there. 

There was a stairway right in front of us, the storefront was on the left, and we saw hallways past the storefront, which is where we started. There were labels for each section, but it was obvious that Bread & Puppet has been VERY busy over the decades, with a seeming mission to spread truth to the world. I appreciated that to a high degree.  

We took our time walking through, but it was chilly. One stop in the downstairs area had a life-size puppet of a woman randomly sitting in a chair, with no reference or label. It was evident that she had an Eastern European feel. She gave me the shivers, so I moved on. 

After walking through the whole downstairs area, up the stairs we went to check out the upper part of the barn. The puppets there were still organized but it was also a little more chaotic, as puppets were also hanging from beams and placed under lower ceiling areas. I took a lot of photos overall but only included a handful of them. 

On our way out, I purchased this “Courage” poster and had it framed and hung in our house. If you see pictures like this around the state and with this unique hand-made font, that’s a Bread & Puppet Masonite or wood cut print. They are super cool!

Bread & Puppet travels all over the eastern half of the U.S., as shown in this touring schedule. I highly recommend checking out this museum yourself for a unique experience! What better way to enjoy the Halloween season than by taking a roadtrip to a rural part of Vermont and looking at puppets that almost seem to come alive?