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<\/a><\/p>\nTODAY (Wed 10 Sep) with support from the Scottish Government\u2019s Festivals EXPO Fund and Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival launched its 36th festival programme.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The Scottish International Storytelling Festival\u00a0(22 October to 1 November 2025)<\/strong>\u00a0organised by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), is the world\u2019s largest annual celebration of storytelling.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This year\u2019s theme \u2018Lights of the North\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0explores Scotland\u2019s northern identity through sharing tales from the world\u2019s northern arc, which bridges Finland to Iceland and connects Germany to Norway, with Scotland in between.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the 11 days of the festival, some of the North\u2019s most celebrated storytellers will join leading voices from Scotland to bring a feast of traditional storytelling to Edinburgh and to venues across Scotland.\u00a0<\/p>\n International guest storytellers including\u00a0Anna-Maria Toivonen\u00a0<\/strong>from Finland;\u00a0Georgiana Keable Jerstad<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Mimesis Heidi Dahlsveen<\/strong>\u00a0from Norway;\u00a0Hj\u00f6rleifur Stef\u00e1nsson<\/strong>\u00a0from Iceland;\u00a0Jerker Fahlstr\u00f6m<\/strong>\u00a0from Sweden; and\u00a0Suse Weisse<\/strong>\u00a0from Germany; will share tales of Vikings, Hulduf\u00f3lk (or the hidden people from Iceland), trolls, the dark northern winters and some of their favourite traditional folktales.<\/p>\n Joining them, will be some of Scotland\u2019s most celebrated storytellers, who will present new work themed on the \u2018Lights of the North\u2019, and their own twist on some classic tales including:<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Of Stars, Bears and the Beginning of Time\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0(Wed 22 Oct) presented by storyteller\u00a0Riikka Palonen<\/strong>and accompanied by folk musician\u00a0Richard Clarke<\/strong>. Riikka will take audiences on a mythical journey through the celestial origin stories of the Fenno-Baltic tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The People of the Sea\u00a0<\/strong>(Thu 23 Oct) inspired by David Thomson\u2019s remarkable work about selkie myths and coastal voices told by\u00a0Ruth Kirkpatrick<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Colin Urwin. \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Selkie: Past, Present, Future<\/strong>\u00a0(Fri 24 Oct) with\u00a0Niall Moorjani<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Ailsa Dixon<\/strong>\u00a0who explore what it is to be human through three queered and reimagined selkies set in the past, present and future.<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Land of Many Waters<\/strong>\u00a0(Sat 25 Oct) with\u00a0Eileen Budd, David McAlmont\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Debbie Armour\u00a0<\/strong>whopresent stories inspired by Scottish rivers and waters, the stories they carry and their fragile eco-system. \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He Sits on the Rock of Joy<\/strong>\u00a0(Sun 26 Oct) with storyteller\u00a0Linda Perttula<\/strong>\u00a0and singer-songwriter\u00a0Aino Elina\u00a0<\/strong>who combine their own teenage memories, with ancient poetry and ethereal vocals in the search for a connection to this Finnish epic.<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Da Winters O Shetland<\/strong>\u00a0(Sun 26 Oct) with storyteller and comedian\u00a0Marjolein Robertson<\/strong>, who takes us on a story arc across the dark night of a Shetland winter.<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gullrun\u2019s Saga: A Viking Story<\/strong>\u00a0(Thu 30 Oct) with storyteller\u00a0Svend-Erik Engh<\/strong>\u00a0and Scottish musician\u00a0Neil Sutcliffe\u00a0<\/strong>who present an original story inspired by the Icelandic sagas.<\/p>\n Classic tales<\/strong>\u00a0with a twist include:\u00a0<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Claire Hewitt<\/strong>\u00a0presenting the magical tale of\u00a0The Swan Woman\u00a0with\u00a0Anna-Maria Toivonen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mark Borthwick\u00a0<\/strong>retelling the tale of\u00a0The War of the Birds.<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sarah Wedderburn-Ogilvy, Isobel O\u2019Donovan, Daiva Ivanauskait\u0117-Brown\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Trinidad Cabez\u00f3n Droguett<\/strong>\u00a0reimagining the forgotten tale of St Enoch through the journey of four women making their lives in Glasgow.<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Monica Madas\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Erin Farley<\/strong>\u00a0using puppetry and song to tell the epic tale of Triduana and her journey to take Saint Andrew\u2019s bones to Scotland.<\/p>\n \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tania Allan\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Craig McCulloch\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>take on traditional Selkie myths and the parallels between the silence and captivity found in deafness.\u00a0<\/p>\n The festival is also packed with rich tales and songs from\u00a0Scotland\u2019s Travelling Community<\/strong>\u00a0that have been passed down through generations. With\u00a0Jess Smith\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Jimmy Williamson<\/strong>\u00a0sharing well known tales, and\u00a0Marion Kenny<\/strong>\u00a0paying homage to Duncan Williamson with a retelling of\u00a0The King and The Lamp. This year\u2019s Alan Bruford lecture will also discuss\u00a0\u2018Nackens\u2019 (Scottish Gypsy Travellers) and how their folklore gives us unique insights into Scotland\u2019s history and placenames. This will be led by author\u00a0Dr Robert Fell<\/strong>\u00a0who will be joined by\u00a0Shamus McPhee\u00a0<\/strong>to recount a tale about Balquhidder and how it got its name. Plus, piper\u00a0Gary West,\u00a0<\/strong>author of the Martyn Bennett biography\u00a0Brave New Music, hosts a live event celebrating the Traveller ballads and stories which influenced the late musician\u2019s work.<\/p>\n As we edge closer to\u00a0Halloween<\/strong>,and the Samhuinn Fire Festival in Holyrood Park, the festival embraces the dark side of storytelling with\u00a0Daniel Serridge<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Heather Cartwright\u00a0<\/strong>sharing stories and songs about the unnerving and haunted corpse roads in Cumbria, where the dead passed through on the way to their graves;\u00a0Anna Lehr<\/strong>\u00a0presents\u00a0Dazwischen\u00a0\u2013 a tale about death, birth and what lies between; Chair of the Scottish Storytelling Forum, and celebrant,\u00a0Beverley Bryant<\/strong>\u00a0leads a workshop on\u00a0Mortality and Making\u00a0and how we craft conversations about death whilst participants weave willow and make decorations for coffins; and\u00a0Suse Weisse<\/strong>\u00a0in association with Goethe-Institut, shares some of the Brother Grimm\u2019s fairy tales and tales fit for\u00a0The Bewitching Season\u00a0on Hallow\u2019s Eve.\u00a0<\/p>\n For younger audiences and families<\/strong>\u00a0there\u2019s a packed programme of events over the October school holidays kicking off on Saturday 11 October, ahead of the festival\u2019s main programme (22 Oct to 1 Nov). Family highlights include sensory storytelling fun with\u00a0Fibi Cowley<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0A Dispute with a Butterfly\u00a0told through puppetry; and sensory stories with\u00a0Ailie Finlay<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Tales of Cold Forests and Cosy Bears.There\u2019s also percussive dancing from Tokyo-born stepdancer\u00a0Kae Sakurai<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0BLOOM; a family ceilidh with the\u00a0Minnow Ceilidh Band<\/strong>; songs and stories about dragons with\u00a0Daiva Ivanauskait\u0117-Brown<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Gaynor Barradell<\/strong>; and plenty of events outdoors including the return of the\u00a0Botanics Storytelling Day<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Macastory\u2019s School for Skalds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Plus,\u00a0Allison Galbraith<\/strong>\u00a0delights audiences with folk tales about our Scottish waters and will announce the winners of this year\u2019s\u00a0Words of the Wild<\/strong>\u00a0nature writing competition run in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Also, new for 2025, three emerging storytellers present their own work themed around shame, consent and survival, in association with FEST (Federation of European Storytelling).<\/p>\n This year\u2019s workshop programmeis packed with tips on telling stories including a look at using BSL in storytelling and how facial expression and movement can help bring a story to life; tech and storytelling with the Scottish Storytelling Centre\u2019s very own inhouse expert\u00a0Roddy Simpson\u00a0<\/strong>discussing how best to present storytellers on the stage; what music can add to stories; and the ethical considerations behind using recordings and archive material.\u00a0\u00a0Plus,\u00a0Bogl\u00e1rka Klitsie-Szabad<\/strong>\u00a0of the Hungarian Heritage House explores the rich repertoire of one of Hungary\u2019s last traditional Roma storytellers Vilmos Csipk\u00e9s; and\u00a0Anna Lehr\u00a0<\/strong>discusses classic fairy tales particularly those of the Brothers Grimm.<\/p>\n Throughout the festival, audiences can also enjoy relaxed\u00a0Open Hearth<\/strong>\u00a0gatherings of storytellers and musicians across four evenings in the Storytelling Centre\u2019s Netherbow Theatre.<\/p>\n Go Local\u00a0<\/strong>returns this year, with new voices from East Lothian and Shetland joining storytellers from all over Scotland throughout October and November to celebrate Scottish storytelling. From the Western Isles, to Dumfries and Galloway there will be over 60 Go Local events in this year\u2019s programme, plus the international storytellers invited to participate in this year\u2019s festival, will also perform in Glasgow, Kenmore, Aberfeldy and Dundee; and as guests at storytelling festivals in Orkney, Aberdeen and Dumfries and Galloway.<\/p>\n Finally, this year\u2019s festival exhibition\u00a0Stories Drawn from the Land<\/strong>, hosted at the Scottish Storytelling Centre will feature ink illustrations and ceramics by\u00a0Hester Aspland,<\/strong>\u00a0whose work is rooted in the realms of folklore, wild places, landscape and history. Hester is also the illustrator of this year\u2019s festival programme.<\/p>\n Culture Secretary Angus Robertson\u00a0<\/strong>said:<\/p>\n \u201cThe fantastic programme for this year\u2019s Scottish International Storytelling Festival features something for everyone and brings together stars of Scotland\u2019s storytelling scene with our north Atlantic neighbours to give light to dark winter nights through mystical stories and songs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe festival received \u00a3200,000 this year from our EXPO fund as part of a record increase in culture funding from the Scottish Government. We are proud to support this celebration of Scotland\u2019s storytelling heritage and its important place on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n Donald Smith, Scottish International Storytelling Festival Director\u00a0<\/strong>said:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m very inspired by the chemistry of this year\u2019s programme. Northern stories come from the forests, mountains and oceans, while drawing on an eerie imagination, surreal humour and hidden connections between human and natural spirits. Inner and outer journeys collide with unexpected magic. And Scotland is a hub and a crucible of this unique northern brew!\u201d<\/p>\n Performing at today\u2019s launch, with musician Richard Clarke, storyteller\u00a0Riikka Palonen\u00a0<\/strong>said:\u00a0\u201cThis festival is a very special and exciting time for me \u2013 as a relatively recent arrival on these shores, I feel honoured to be able to present the stories from my home land, here in the land of my new home.<\/p>\n The stories I will be telling are rooted in the celestial origins of our northern mythology \u2013 tales born of the stars \u2013 and just as the starlight brings its glow to the darkening nights, I hope my tales can also cast a little light and wonder, if even for a short while.\u201d<\/p>\n The Scottish International Storytelling Festival takes place from Wednesday 22 October to Saturday 1 November. For those planning on attending multiple events, the Festival Supporter Pass (\u00a324) offers discounted tickets to many festival events, at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, as well as a discount at the Scottish Storytelling Centre\u2019s bookshop, Haggis Box Caf\u00e9 and an invitation to the Festival launch event.<\/p>\n There will also be BSL interpretation available for D\/deaf audiences at selected events.<\/p>\n To purchase tickets and browse the full programme, visit\u00a0<\/a>sisf.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0International Guest Storytellers from Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Germany \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Tales by Scotland\u2019s Travelling Community\u00a0 \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Over 60 Go…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[748,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-413806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-scotland","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115181440590241043","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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