SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL 2024

Today (Wed 11 Sep) with support from the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund and Creative Scotland, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival launched its 35th festival programme. 

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (18 to 31 October 2024) is organised by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and is the world’s largest celebration of storytelling. Since it began in 1989, it has been building bridges between cultures, artists and audiences all over the world through the power of storytelling. To mark its 35th anniversary, which coincides with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the festival has chosen ‘Bridges Between’ as its programming theme, which has been the inspiration for eight new story commissions premiering during this year’s festival. It has also invited international storytellers from the Storytelling Arena in Berlin, from Ireland with the support of Culture Ireland, and from India to participate in this year’s event.

New Commissions supported by the Scottish Government Festivals Exp

This year the Festival is also part of the city’s Edinburgh 900 programme, celebrating nine centuries of story and literature in Scotland’s capital city. Festival Director Donald Smith, who is also author of the newly published EdinburghOur Storied Town, has programmed a series of events showcasing Edinburgh through the centuries and exploring different eras of its history. These include talks on ‘chivalry’ and the knightly values of the crusades; Edinburgh’s theatres and the history of the festivals; Scotland’s golden age of literature; and a conference and ‘Lit Fandango’ with Michael Pedersen to celebrate 20 years since Edinburgh was crowned the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature. 

There are also guided walks through the city to explore Edinburgh’s founding women with Claire McNicol; an after-hours tour of Surgeon’s Hall where tales of chloroform tea parties and grave robbing will be shared; and storytelling sessions at Bridgend Farmhouse, The Balm Well and Edinburgh’s Philosophy Cafe on the Southside.

For younger audiences and families there is a packed programme of events over the October school holidays kicking off on Saturday 12 October, ahead of the festival’s main programme (18 to 31 Oct). Family highlights include storytelling fun and adventures with Claire McNicol and Linda Williamson inRaven Jack and Lady Unicorn;dancing and stories with Moyra Banks and Fergus McNicol; tales of dragons and tunes from Lithuania and Scotland; and The Hairy Tale of Sam the Skullabout a gallus Glasgow cat, told by storyteller Alastair McIver. There is also a chance for young storytellers to learn new skills in the 3-day workshop series School of Storycraft and plenty of events outdoors including the return of the Botanics Storytelling Day and Macastory’s Caddie Capers.

Plus, the festival’s Global Lab strand returns with four online workshops exploring intangible cultural heritage; the war in Gaza through the voices of children and young people; stories from across India hosted by the Folklogue Team; and a discussion of Scotland as a slaver nation trading in Jamaica hosted by Kate Philips, author of Bought and Sold: Scotland, Jamaica and Slavery.

This year the festival runs up until Halloween and includes events when storytellers, musicians and artists will join together to share dark tales and gather for Samhain. There will also be four Tree of Memory events celebrating and honouring some of our storytelling elders including Irish and Scots storyteller Audrey Parks; Shetland storyteller Lawrence Tulloch, and Edinburgh storytellers Jack Martin and John Fee.

Go Local returns this year, with new voices from Angus, the Highlands, and Stirling joining storytellers from all over Scotland throughout October and November to celebrate 35 years of the festival. From Orkney and the Western Isles, to the Scottish Borders, there will be nearly 50 Go Local events in this year’s programme, plus two of the festival’s commissions will tour to community halls, libraries and storytelling festivals in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Tobermory.

Finally, this year’s festival exhibition hosted at the Scottish Storytelling Centre will be Take Me To New Lands & Then Take Me Home, a series of paintings by Orcadian artist and musician Sarah McFadyen exploring the line between the worlds of fact and fable, and the place where land and sea meet.

To purchase tickets and browse the full programme, visit sisf.org.uk

Jim Welsh