About Us

The Story of the Storytelling Festival

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) gathers leading storytellers and musicians from Scotland and around the world each October, as longer nights invite moments of connection and shared stories inspired by the Scottish cèilidh tradition.

From performances and workshops to talks and family events, the festival spreads across Edinburgh, celebrating Scotland’s rich storytelling heritage alongside diverse global voices.

What makes it special?

  • Storytelling is not a form of theatre – of course its entertainment, but it’s not a passive art form. Every performance is shaped by the audience. 
  • The imagination of the audience is central to the performance and is what creates the true storytelling experience.
  • Although each event has a structure, there will always be an informal and improvised element, which is the beauty of live storytelling, echoing the old Traveller proverb that ‘a story is told eye to eye, mind to mind, heart to heart’.

Edinburgh & Beyond

SISF for the majority takes place in and around Edinburgh. The main venue is the Netherbow Theatre at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, with partner venues in the city including Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the National Library of Scotland and Museums & Galleries Edinburgh.

The programme provides diverse events, for those completely new to storytelling through to guests wanting to develop their storytelling skill, ranging from nightly storytelling sessions for adults to professional development talks and workshops.

The programme also includes the popular Festival on Tour stand, which brings visiting international storytellers and their stories to Scottish regions and islands so they can embrace and discover Scotland’s communities.

There is also the opportunity to “do it yourself” with the SISF Community Programme, to inspire everyone to enjoy and embrace storytelling.

View Past Programmes

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Immerse yourself in the magic of storytelling each autumn with the Scottish International Storytelling Festival.

Our newsletter keeps you connected all year round – from essential updates in the lead-up to the festival, to the latest news, and special highlights during SISF itself, so you never miss a moment.

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Did you know?

  • The Scottish International Storytelling Festival has been running since 1989; starting with just 700 attendees.
  • We are 1 of the 11 major festivals in Edinburgh (the only one with Scottish in its title)
  • 2024 saw us reach over 40,000 people – a real milestone for the festival.
  • Our festival is brought to life each year by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland).
  • We also run an annual community programme (The Big Scottish Story Ripple) that connects local storytellers with schools and community groups across Scotland.

 

 

Festivals Edinburgh

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is proud to be part of Festivals Edinburgh.

Building on a culture of collaborative working, the Directors of Edinburgh’s leading Festivals came together in 2007 to formally establish Festivals Edinburgh with a mission to support Edinburgh’s Festivals in sustaining and developing their position as the world’s leading festival city through the development and delivery of collaborative projects and initiatives which support growth, product development, leadership and audiences acting on behalf of and representing the collective strengths of Edinburgh.

Explore the Festival City