Scottish International Storytelling Festival

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Scottish International Storytelling Festival

Scotland's annual celebration of storytelling is back 21 - 31 October 2026

18/06/2026

New Opportunity: Festival Content Internship 📢

Are you a creative with a passion for all things digital? We’re looking for an enthusiastic intern to join our team and help bring the Scottish International Storytelling Festival to life online.

This role will support the creation of digital content in the lead-up to the festival and throughout the live festival period - helping to promote and capture events, document activities, and contribute during a key phase of the festival’s marketing campaign.

👉 Applications close: Sunday, 5 July

Find out more: https://www.sisf.org.uk/news-post/newsid/27050-opportunity-festival-content-internship/

05/06/2026

This World Environment Day, we’re thrilled to launch the Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursaries for 2026.

In memory of storyteller and environmental advocate Andy Hunter, this fund supports projects that deepen connection - to place, people, and the natural world, through storytelling rooted in care, creativity and sustainability.

Bursaries are available for storytellers aged 18+, who are based in Scotland and working in live, oral storytelling.

We’re especially interested in work that explores:
🌿 Environmental awareness and sustainability
🏞️ Place-based storytelling
🗣️ Traditional oral storytelling
🤝 Community and intergenerational exchange

Projects might include story walks, community storytelling, workshops, research and development, or creative collaborations with crafts, music, ecology, language or heritage.

📅 Deadline: Fri 26 June 2026

Apply today: https://www.sisf.org.uk/andy-hunter-storytelling-bursary/

Photo credit: Alex Sedgmond

26/05/2026

The Big Scottish Story Ripple is back! ✨📖

Community groups and schools across Scotland are invited to join The Big Scottish Story Ripple by hosting a storytelling event with a professional storyteller from the Scottish Storytelling Forum Directory.

Successful applicants can apply for a subsidy to cover their storyteller’s fee. In return, each group is asked to pay the kindness forward with a good deed for their local community by St Andrew’s Day - keeping the ripple of stories and kindness growing.

Deadline to register: 31 August 2026

Learn more https://www.sisf.org.uk/community-programme/

Supported by Scottish Storytelling Forum SCIO & TRACS - Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland

28/04/2026

One week left to submit your artist proposals 📣

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, returning from 21 - 31 Oct.

We’re looking for storytellers from across Scotland to be part of this year’s programme. If you’re a creative practitioner aged 18+ and rooted in the traditional art of live, oral storytelling, we’d love to hear from you.

Don’t miss out - applications close Tuesday 5 May.

👉 To apply, head to https://bit.ly/4mvWhJv

Music featured: Seán and Paul's Welcome Back to the Weeg | Beach Party | Fuinneamh by Tina Jordan Rees

15/04/2026

Call for artist proposals 📣

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is back from 21 - 31 Oct, and we’re inviting traditional storytellers from across Scotland to take part.

If you’re a creative practitioner 18 years of age or over, based in Scotland and are rooted in the traditional art-form of live, oral storytelling, then we want to hear from you.

Applications close: Tuesday, 5th May

👉 For more information and to apply, head to https://bit.ly/4mvWhJv

20/03/2026

If you have ever visited the Scottish Storytelling Centre or have been to the Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF), you might recognise this face. 👀

Daniel Abercrombie has been a valued member of the SISF team for several years, playing a key role in the festival’s success as Associate Director. Alongside this, he has served as Head of Programming at the Scottish Storytelling Centre since 2010, helping to shape it into the thriving arts venue we know today.

On World Storytelling Day, we’re delighted to announce that, following his dedicated tenure with the Centre, Daniel will take up the role of Festival Director for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival this April.

This marks an exciting new chapter for TRACS - Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland and SISF. We’re thrilled to have Daniel leading the festival into its next era, and we can’t wait to see where he takes it. 🙌

Read more: https://bit.ly/NewDirectorSISF

02/03/2026

Last week, we were delighted to celebrate the launch of this year’s Festival City Stories 🎉

It feels great to be back for another year, working alongside Build Hollywood and Edinburgh Festivals to spotlight and celebrate the inspiring work that we, and our fellow festivals deliver within communities across Edinburgh.

This year, EdinburghSketcher visited one of our community projects: the BSL Apprenticeship Programme, led by Tania Allan, our BSL Storytelling Apprenticeship Coordinator. The programme launched a series of BSL Storytelling Workshops - creating a welcoming, inclusive space where Deaf communities can come together to share stories, humour, and memories. These sessions build confidence, develop creative skills, and celebrate Deaf culture in a meaningful and empowering way.

You can experience these installations on Dundee Street and Wishaw Terrace from 23 Feb – 8 Mar 2026.

👉 Read more about this year’s Festival City Stories:
https://www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/about/stories

Festival City Stories 2026, a partnership between Edinburgh Festivals and BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland. Artwork: Edinburgh Sketcher. Photo: Iain Mackay.

26/01/2026

Recently, we had the pleasure of stepping back into the classroom to present a brief to the MSc Marketing students at the University of Edinburgh Business School

Their challenge: to create a digital marketing proposal that tackles key digital opportunities and challenges for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. ✨

It was great to hear their enthusiasm as we shared the story of the festival - where it began, how it’s grown, and where it’s headed next.

Now the creative process begins… and we can’t wait to collaborate with the students and see the ideas that unfold as their proposals come to life. 👀

19/11/2025

We’re hiring: Festival Director 📢

Join the world’s largest celebration of storytelling and help shape its next chapter. We’re seeking an inspiring Festival Director to lead this vibrant, internationally acclaimed event into the future.

Based in the heart of Edinburgh, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival brings together artists, audiences, and communities from across the globe through performance, creativity, and connection. As Festival Director, you will drive the artistic vision and provide strategic leadership - ensuring the festival continues to flourish locally, nationally, and internationally.

📍Location: Edinburgh (hybrid options)
⏳Contract: 12 months (with potential to extend)
🗓️Application Deadline: Monday 1 December 2025

If you’re a creative leader with a passion for traditional arts, dynamic festival programming, and storytelling that connects cultures and communities, we’d love to hear from you.

👉 Find out more and download the recruitment pack: https://bit.ly/4r9C5ij

11/11/2025

Episode 4 is out now for ‘Another Story Podcast’ Season 3! 📖🎙️

Recorded at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival for 2025, we sat down with emerging storytellers Winter de C**k and Geoffrey van der Ven, who joined us all the way from Belgium and The Netherlands.

Together, we explored their creative journeys and enjoyed some of their captivating tales, recorded live at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on Saturday 25 October 2025.

To listen, head to https://bit.ly/4p9zCmp

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43-45 High Street
Edinburgh
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Website

https://www.sisf.org.uk/

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