Scottish International Storytelling Festival

This month, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival is bringing over 240 events to Scotland. The festival sports a host of online and in-person events, centred in Edinburgh but also accessible throughout Scotland. This year's festival falls in conjunction with Scotland's Year of Stories, and it celebrates Scotland's rich tradition of oral history and live storytelling. Keep It Lit, the theme for this year, highlights the potential of Scottish culture as a ground for solidarity, community, and collective memory. SISF 'invites everyone to the ceilidh' – the festival promises to be a multicultural feast of stories for all ages. But it isn't just storytelling: SISF offers a programme of performances, screenings, music, workshops, and more to pique the interest of audiences throughout Scotland and beyond. 

The 2022 edition builds upon the power of stories to traverse boundaries: their scope is 'local, national, global', and a rich programme of diverse events offers something for everyone. The festival opens with a concert on 14 October, titled Speak Out the Other. This concert will focus on the intersection of queer identities with Scottish folklore – their otherness, their mutability, and their capacity for belonging. This bold and interactive concert will be performed by members of the Young Edinburgh Storytellers (YES). 

On the stage set by the opening concert, SISF will host a series of events following the theme Interpreting Scotland. These events invite artists to explore contemporary issues through the lens of stories and folklore. During a period of such rapid and unpredictable change, art and oral history are paramount in understanding and navigating our environment.

SISF is offering a wide variety of other events. On 16 October, SISF will host an event titled Fàilte Gu BSL | Welcome to BSL, a collaborative performance exploring the intersection between Gaelic and British Sign Language. On 18 October, audiences will be treated to Niall Moorjani's A Faerie Tale, a queer, eerie story set to live instrumentals. Moorjani recently received glowing reviews for their rendition of the show during the Edinburgh Fringe, making it a must-see for any storytelling enthusiasts with particular interests in queer and non-binary stories and multi-culturalism. 

In addition to a rich programme of compelling performances, SISF is also offering a variety of events and workshops for participants of all ages. Scotia Botanica: Workshops and Seed Stories on 22 and 27 October, explores how we can reconnect with our natural environment while addressing climate change and celebrating diversity. Families can join SISF at the Botanics Halloween Trail to follow clues and find treats in Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden.

Another thread of SISF, titled Tales, Tongues, and Trails, explores migration, identity, and, of course, stories. Highlights of the strand include Lost Stories by Hungarian storytellers Lily Asch and Csenge Virág Zalka. In this event, Asch and Zalka connect continents and traditions, following the thread of movement and transformation to who we are today. First Nations and Gaelic cultures come together in A’ lorg Sruthan Falaichte | Finding Hidden Streams, in which Mi’kmaq and Gaelic speakers examine how their cultures were passed down through oral tradition. In Female Powers: Fairy Queens and Witches, music duo Pictism and storyteller Stuart McHardy embark on a magical exploration of Halloween and its feminine themes. 

Throughout the festival, Edinburgh's Scottish Storytelling Centre will host Open Hearth, a relaxed evening of stories and music. Elsewhere in Edinburgh, When Mountains Meet | Jub Milain Pahaar (27 and 28 October) features a live band, storytellers, and singers as they celebrate diversity and difference 75 years on from the partition of India and foundation of Pakistan. 

SISF runs from 14-31 October and offers a variety of ways to access events. The festival includes 145 free events, and also offers either tickets by event or an inclusive festival pass for those planning to attend more than one event. It is a vibrant celebration of difference and solidarity set against the backdrop of long-standing oral traditions in Scotland and beyond.