A storytelling festival is often an annual event that features local, regional and/or nationally known storytellers. Each storyteller will have a scheduled amount of time(s) to share a story (or stories) with an audience. The featured storytellers are often professional, but semi-professional or amateur storytellers may also be included among the events.

Festivals may be a single or multiple day event. Depending upon the venue, the festival schedule is organized around blocks of time for the storytellers to share their stories. The storytellers may rotate between smaller venues or the crowds may move from venue to venue. Tents or an amplitheater might be used for outdoor storytelling concerts/venues. Auditoriums, theaters, historic buildings, classrooms or gymnasiums might be common indoor venues. Often storytelling festivals will include a "story swapping" opportunity for amateurs to share their own stories or even showcase the talent of winners of storytelling contests.

Paper tickets are traditionally traded in at the festival for "swatches" of patterned cloth that are pinned on and worn by festival participants. These swatches are prepared specifically for that year's festival and have a different/unique pattern each year.

See also

• Storytelling
• Bill Harley
• Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival
• Kathryn Tucker Windham
• Andy Offutt Irwin

English Storytellers

• Hugh Lupton - “Internationally acclaimed storyteller Hugh Lupton”

External links and references

• The National Storytelling Network (USA)
• Storytelling festivals List and links to storytelling festivals

Folklore | Art festivals