Explore the Festival
Live storytelling is all about inventive one-off moments and memorable experiences that entertain and create a connection, move you, make you laugh or inspire you to see things differently.
To help you navigate through the programme we have created a small timetable displaying all the Festival highlights day by day. Please refer to the full programme for a full description of each event.
Book your tickets
Call +44 (0)131 556 9579 or click here to book online.
Festival Highlights
About the programme
We’ve given each event in our programme a category to help you decide which to book. The main programme is for adults, and takes place at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh.
At the Scottish Storytelling Centre
Live Storytelling
Live evening storytelling performances in the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s stunning, intimate theatre space and at The Hub, headquarters of the Edinburgh International Festival. Live Storytelling events feature international guest artists representing their own cultures and traditions, alongside the best of Scotland’s storytellers.
Meet the Storyteller and the Odyssey Instalment
A relaxed and informal taster session providing a wonderful opportunity to get to know our visiting guest storytellers. In each session a guest storyteller shares a little about the culture and traditions of their homeland, and what inspired them to become a storyteller. This is followed by a thrilling retelling of an Odyssey chapter, building up to the Complete Odyssey on Saturday 29 October as part of the Festival’s finale weekend.
The Complete Odyssey
Ten years have passed since the fall of Troy, and the Greek hero Odysseus still has not returned to his kingdom in Ithaca. Homer’s epic poem is brought to life throughout the ten day Festival as visiting tellers recite the tale in episodes throughout the week,concluding with a finale where the whole story and its epic themes of temptation, separation and journey are explored in a grand afternoon and evening of unforgettable storytelling.
Talk & Lectures
This year’s Festival links Scotland with the Mediterranean world, as we look forward to the Olympics. Deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Festival’s themes as experts from the arts and academic world share their knowledge about Island traditions and tradition bearers. Part talk, part discussion, often with a chance to question and debate.
Family Events
Live storytelling events, often involving craft and storymaking activities, especially designed for children and families. Please check each event listing for information on age suitability, or check with the relevant venue.
Club Event
A special storytelling club evening in the nearby Waverley Bar. Experience a true Scottish storytelling ceilidh! A great way to relax, join in, meet the storytellers and enjoy fine tales plus Guid Crack.
Training and Development
The Festival is the perfect opportunity to develop your storytelling skills, explore a specific area of storytelling or share ideas, approaches and good practice. Come along to one of our Festival training and CPD events at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and fire your imagination! Advance booking essential.
Local partner events
An array of family and adult events involving visiting and Scottish storytellers are
programmed by the Scottish International Storytelling Festival together with local Festival partners, and interspersed throughout the programme, to complement the main programme and Festival themes.
Festival on Tour: An Island Odyssey
This vital and ever-growing part of the Festival provides audiences across Scotland with the chance to enjoy the riches that our visiting international guests have to share. The Festival on Tour programme is coordinated by regional storytelling teams, with the support of the Storytelling Festival. This year the Festival has achieved it’s broadest coverage of Scotland with storytelling events taking place in some of Scotland’s beautiful islands, in association with the Year of Scotland’s Islands. Festival on Tour events this year take place in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, The Cumbraes, Bute, Mull and Iona, Skye, Lewis, Harris, Benbecula, Barra, Orkney, Fair Isle and Shetland.
Education and communities programme
Alongside the public programme, the Festival delivers a popular outreach programme to schools, libraries and community groups. The highlight of this is the national Tell-a-Story Day on Friday 28th October. Our scottish storytellers will be providing interactive live storytelling sessions to children and young people of all ages, including those with additional support needs, along with their teachers, librarians, parents and carers.
Contact davide@scottishstorytellingcentre.com or 0131 652 3272 for more information.
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