Scottish Storytelling Centre

About Scottish Storytelling Centre

The Scottish Storytelling Centre is a vibrant arts venue with a seasonal programme of live storytelling, theatre, music, exhibitions, workshops, family events, and festivals. We are the home of two festivals: TradFest, a traditional arts festival that takes place in the spring, and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival in October. We’re also a host venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and other exciting cultural programmes all year round.

We’re a great meeting place where you can experience Scotland’s rich story heritage. In the Storytelling Court you'll find an interactive Storywall which children (and adults!) enjoy exploring. Try to find Greyfriars Bobby; catch the frog; meet Nessie, the Gruffalo and Wee Willie Winkie; and discover traditional Scottish tales. Tucked around the corner you can listen to excerpts from Edinburgh’s most famous storyteller, Robert Louis Stevenson, and we always have a free exhibition on display.

Swap your own stories in the Café over some delicious home baking and great coffee. Browse our bookshop in the medieval luckenbooths of John Knox House and see if you can spot our dragon’s nest and time capsule hiding among the books. Attached to the Scottish Storytelling Centre is John Knox House, creating a very unique venue that incorporates contemporary design with medieval architecture. Explore this museum to learn about one of the most turbulent times in Scottish History.

The Scottish Storytelling Centre is also the Headquarters of the Scottish Storytelling Network which offers its members exclusive access to development events; discounts on our Workshops and Courses; and support and advice on professional development.

Upcoming Events at Scottish Storytelling Centre

Exhibition: The Somewhere Else

5th October 2019 - 31st October 2019

In this series of etching prints, artist Fiona Watson expresses her overwhelming visual memory of Canada, evoking the silence and minimalist aesthetic of its snowy landscapes.

Open Hearth

19th October 2019 - 27th October 2019

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival invites you to join storytellers and musicians round the hearth for a relaxed traditional session of stories from home and abroad.

Corryvreckan: Inspiralled Tales

21st October 2019

Join Storyteller Fiona Herbert for myths reimagined, with Corryvreckan at their swirling heart. With live music and song from Sarah McFadyen.

Life with My Father, George Orwell

21st October 2019

George Orwell’s son Richard Blair takes us on a personal and unique journey into the life of his father, including insights into family times on the Isle of Jura.

Global Lab

21st October 2019 - 25th October 2019

An opportunity to discover the power of storytelling and role of storytellers in the 21st century.

The Alan Bruford Lecture - Fenian Heroes at Sea

22nd October 2019

Prof. Joseph Nagy considers the special significance of Fionn and his men in this lecture at Scottish Storytelling Centre on 22nd October.

Scotland & Canada: Stories from the Yukon

23rd October 2019

First Nation storyteller Louise Profeit-LeBlanc takes you to the outskirts of the Arctic Circle as she shares traditional stories from elders in northern Yukon.

Garden of Tales: Stories from Lithuania

23rd October 2019

Lithuanian storyteller Daiva Ivanauskaitė introduces us to traditional stories weaved with songs of her Baltic country as part of Lithuanian Days in Scotland.

Scotland & Canada: Stories from the Great Plains

24th October 2019

Cree néhiyaw First Nation storyteller Joseph Naytowhow will transport you to the landscapes of the Great Plains through timeless sounds and stories.

Scotland & Canada: Stories from Newfoundland & Labrador

25th October 2019

Join Gary Green, Born and bred in Newfoundland and Labrador, for an evening rich with North Atlantic lore!

Scotland & Canada: Robert Service - Poet of the Yukon

26th October 2019

Storytellers David Campbell, Barbara McLean and cellist/singer Wendy Weatherby celebrate poet and writer Robert W. Service as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival.

Family Samhuinn

26th October 2019

Enjoy an afternoon of stories, drama games and songs at the Family Samhuinn in the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 26th October!

Scotland & Canada: Spirit & Tradition

27th October 2019

Through dramatic dance, captivating narrative, intricately carved masks and elaborate regalia, the Dancers of Damelahamid transform time and space, bridging the ancient with living tradition.

Beyond the Spectacle: Native North American Presence in Britain

28th October 2019

Prof. David Stirrup hosts an opportunity to learn about contemporary Indigenous issues in Canada and the USA.

Scotland & Canada: Stories from Orkney and Quebec

28th October 2019

Come and join Robert Seven Crows Bourdon and Tom Muir in this unique event where they will take you from coast to coast!

Evening Twilight

29th October 2019

Pàdruig Morrison, Linda MacLeod, Seonaidh MacIntyre and Calum MacDonald recreate a vital setting for the transmission of stories, songs, tunes and lore in the Gàidhealtachd (the ceilidh-house).

Flicker

30th October 2019

As the festival approaches its finale, the British Columbian Dancers of Damelahamid showcase a night of dances and songs that highlight contemporary Indigenous identities.

The Devil & The Clutch of Fools

31st October 2019

This marathon event brings storytellers from different nations together with local people in a storytelling extravaganza. Join in with a story… whoever you are!

Afri-Adventures

2nd November 2019

It's the Scottish Storytelling Centre's annual Africa in Motion family day taking children on adventures across Africa through storytelling and film.

Morag You’re A Long Time Deid

5th November 2019

This collaboration between Claire Love Wilson and Peter Lorenz uses live looped soundscapes to unsettle tradition, contemplating what to carry forward and what must be left behind.

Bal Folk: Dance Workshops and Social

6th November 2019

Come along and try Bal Fold, the European version of Ceilidh dancing, in these workshops at the Scottish Storytelling Centre!

Song-Walking Workshop

6th November 2019

Participants will be instructed in the art of embodied musical walking, sourcing sounds and gestures from specific place and re-kindling a sense of wonder and presence.

Wee Bessie: Book Launch

7th November 2019

Join HOTT Heart of the Travellers at the official book launch of the much-anticipated children's picture book Wee Bessie written by David G Pullar and illustrated by Ruthie Redden!

Spark

8th November 2019

Spark is a spoken word performance which examines female persecution and asks if womanhood is an act of burning at the stake or rising from the ashes.

Wee Bessie: Stories and Crafts

9th November 2019

Join storyteller and author Jess Smith and HOTT Heart of the Travellers for an afternoon of stories and crafts based on the children’s picture book Wee Bessie!

Tiny Tales: Farmyard Tales

12th November 2019

Tiny Tales is the perfect introduction to storytelling and the Centre for your wee ones. Sheila Kinninmonth leads a fun morning of farm animal stories on 12th November!

Café Voices: War and Peace

14th November 2019

Against the backdrop of Alexander Moffat‘s Elegies exhibition, Kati Waitzmann leads an evening of stories reflecting on the troubles of war and the healing properties of peace.

The Remarkable Deliverances of Alice Thornton

14th November 2019

Alice Thornton invites you to a defence of her life, including 20 miraculous deliverances from death… and a dreadful scandal.

The World’s Room

15th November 2019

The World's Room is a home for traditional singing in Edinburgh organised by the Traditional Music Forum and held in the Waverley Bar, St Mary’s Street.

Rosa

15th November 2019 - 16th November 2019

Red Rose Productions present Rosa, a one-woman performance that seeks to tell the tale of the remarkably revolutionary figure Rosa Luxemburg.

Gaelic Song Workshop for Beginners

16th November 2019

Glaikit Carnyx present an interactive introduction to Gaelic song, describing some of the main types of Gaelic song and inviting participants to try singing along.

The Remarkable Deliverances of Alice Thornton

16th November 2019

Alice Thornton invites you to a defence of her life, including 20 miraculous deliverances from death… and a dreadful scandal.

Haunting Our Bodies

18th November 2019

Illness, and memories of being ill, can haunt our bodies physically and emotionally. Learn how graphic novels can help repair such trauma in this workshop at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

The Ceilidh House: Discovering Home - Scotland, Europe, World

19th November 2019

The Being Human Ceilidh House combines radical hospitality and creative generosity to bridge divides between cultures, mentalities and research disciplines.

Exploring Cultural Commoning

19th November 2019

This interactive performance workshop explores ways of discovering the cultural commons that makes our place through play and dance and is followed by a Ceilidh!

Bal Folk: Dance Workshops and Social

20th November 2019

Come along and try Bal Fold, the European version of Ceilidh dancing, in these workshops at the Scottish Storytelling Centre!

Bedtime Stories for the Brain

21st November 2019

We are told to ‘look after’ our brains. Work with a storytelling expert to write a bedtime story to your brain on this workshop at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

Loud Poets

22nd November 2019

One of the UK's most successful spoken word collectives return with their monthly showcase of the UK’s top spoken word talent.

The Night With? Ensemble Offspring

26th November 2019

The Night With? is a fantastic salon style series presenting interesting classical music in intimate, informal venues.

Medea of the Islands

28th November 2019

Enjoy a lyrical exploration of motherhood, myth and madness, inspired by the wild seas and folktales of the Shetlands and Orkney, in this modern retelling of the Medea tragedy.

Guid Crack Storytelling Session: Never Give Up

29th November 2019

Donald Nelson leads an evening of stories around the theme of ‘Never Give Up’ at Edinburgh's long-running storytelling club in The Waverley Bar on 29th November.

The Ceilidh House

30th November 2019

Welcome to the St. Andrew's Day Ceilidh House, where people meet to dance, sing, play music and share stories!

St. Andrew’s Day Family Ceilidh

30th November 2019

Celebrate St. Andrew’s Day and Fair Saturday with family and friends to dance well-known Scottish dances and sing well-known songs at the Scottish Storytelling Centre!

Tactile Tales and Rattling Rhymes

30th November 2019

Come and join a multi-sensory story session with storyteller Ailie Finlay! All welcome but particularly suitable for children with additional needs and their friends and families.

Bal Folk: Dance Workshops and Social

4th December 2019

Come along and try Bal Fold, the European version of Ceilidh dancing, in these workshops at the Scottish Storytelling Centre!

A Winter Warmer

6th December 2019

Join storytellers from Edinburgh's Burgh Blatherers for an evening of heart-warming yarns and chilling winter tales from Scotland and around the world!

Tiny Tales: Snuggle-Up Tales for Winter

10th December 2019

Tiny Tales is the perfect introduction to storytelling and the Centre for your wee ones. Join us as Tim Porteus leads a fun morning of winter stories!

The Night With? Ensemble Offspring

10th December 2019

The Night With? is a fantastic salon style series presenting interesting classical music in intimate, informal venues.

Ian MacKenzie Memorial Concert

11th December 2019

Traditional and original music concert by Talitha MacKenzie featuring Gaelic song from the School of Scottish Studies Archives.

Café Voices: Transformation Tales

12th December 2019

Transformational tales on a winter night reminds us that light will soon take over the darkness. Danish storyteller Svend-Erik Engh invites you into a world that always changes…

Strange Town

13th December 2019 - 15th December 2019

Strange Town returns to the Storytelling Centre with a trio of new pantos with a twist to delight all the family!

The World’s Room

13th December 2019

The World's Room is a home for traditional singing in Edinburgh organised by the Traditional Music Forum and held in the Waverley Bar, St Mary’s Street.

It’s a Wonderful Life!

15th December 2019 - 21st December 2019

Floating Brick Theatre present their live stage version of It’s a Wonderful Life at the Scottish Storytelling Centre from 15th to 21st December. Don't miss it!

Bal Folk: Dance Workshops and Social

18th December 2019

Come along and try Bal Fold, the European version of Ceilidh dancing, in these workshops at the Scottish Storytelling Centre!

Loud Poets

20th December 2019

One of the UK's most successful spoken word collectives return with their monthly showcase of the UK’s top spoken word talent.

Family Ceilidh

21st December 2019

Come with family and friends to dance well-known Scottish dances at the Scottish Storytelling Centre Family Ceilidh on 21st December!

Feast of Fools: Christmas Special

23rd December 2019 - 24th December 2019

Join Daniel Serridge at his dinner table of foolishness as he regales you with tales of deliciously disgusting holiday banquets.

Guid Crack Storytelling Session: Out of the Dark: Tales to Lighten the Heart

27th December 2019

Legendary Scottish storyteller David Campbell leads a festive evening of tales to lighten the heart in these dark nights at Edinburgh's long-running storytelling club in The Waverley Bar.

Magic School

27th December 2019 - 30th December 2019

Learn to perform exciting magic, make new wizard friends and become a graduate of the most mysterious school in the world – Magic School!

Tricky Ricky ‘Christmas Madness’

28th December 2019

Join The Trickster, Jingles the Reindeer and Sonny the Bunny on the nutty train to Magical Christmas Madness as part of Edinburgh Internation Magic Festival!

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