The theme for the ten-day 2026 Scottish International Storytelling Festival (21-31 October) is ‘Bird and Beast’, exploring the relationships between storytelling and the natural world. The Festival hosts a programme across the whole of Scotland through its ‘Go Local’ enterprise.
Though the ‘home’ of the Festival may be considered to be the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, there are events ‘from Shetland to Dumfries, from Argyll to Aberdeenshire’ according to the programme. It’s impressive. And it also welcomes and embraces storytellers into the cèilidh tradition of the ‘story circle’ being created here, from Italy, Türkiye, Canada, England, and Ireland.
Celebrating 20 Years of the Scottish Storytelling Centre
At the Opening Reception, held at the stunning Storytelling Centre, fittingly celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, there were presentations by the ‘new’ Festival Director Daniel Abercrombie, as well as supporters and representatives of both the Scottish and Türkiye Governments. The speeches were kept short and culminated in some storytelling. Of course.
Introduced by Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in Edinburgh, Hakan Fidan, storytellers Nazlı Çevik Azazi and Roza Erdem told a short story in Turkish and then in English, supported by a fabulous BSL interpreter, demonstrating that stories from other countries not only have the same or similar roots to our own, but the messages are also universal. It should be noted that there is a dedicated line-up of BSL-led and BSL-interpreted events featured across the Festival.
The room was full of all the brightest and best of Scotland’s storytellers, and the opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones was predominant, over canapés and drinks, which always help to break down any barriers. Sharing tables or perching on benches, it’s hard NOT to talk to your neighbour. Storytellers – and those of us who like to listen – love nothing better than words, and there were plenty of those all evening.
Meeting new folk and finding out what their connection or interest in the Festival is was just so easy and oh-so-fascinating, and the stories – surprise, surprise – just kept on coming. There was a real feeling of ‘cèilidh’ right enough.
“And it also welcomes and embraces storytellers into the cèilidh tradition of the ‘story circle’ being created here, from Italy, Türkiye, Canada, England, and Ireland.“
Review: Aderyn / Bird at the Netherbow Theatre
‘Aderyn/Bird’ was the opening show of the Festival, performed in the Centre’s Netherbow Theatre to a packed house. Traditional storytellers Ailsa Dixon and Ffion Phillips had already performed their sell-out show during this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and they are testament to the Storytelling Centre’s ethos of encouraging and promoting new talent. Their story, accompanied by singing, dancing, and Dixon on cello and Phillips on guitar – with beautiful BSL interpretation – weaves together Welsh and Scots language and tells magical tales of birds. There is a lot of humour in the storytelling, but, of course, there are also messages and the universal truths all good traditional tales embody.
Playing parts in the story themselves and bringing the roles of the birds to life too, Phillips and Dixon are mesmerising. Even though I don’t understand a word of Welsh, Phillips’s face and hand gestures said it all. Dixon is full of bright-eyed smiles and enthusiasm, drawing you in all the way along. The pair engross you in their storytelling. I don’t think I stopped smiling all evening, and I’m still thinking about them now. They are brilliant. What an excellent start to what promises to be a really wonderful celebration of stories and storytelling.
Featured Image: Opening Concert_Ailsa Dixon_credit Ludovic Farine
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