The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is the world’s largest celebration of storytelling, anchored in Scotland, a nation of storytellers. The Festival takes place in October each year, as the seasons change and inspired by the Scottish ceilidh tradition – a community gathering full of tales, anecdotes, music and song.   

Their Sensing Stories project is an inclusive series of storytelling sessions for groups interested in using storytelling as a wellbeing tool and for developing performance skills

EAF and Rhubaba’s Refractions: New Conceptions of Film + Photography, is a co-created programme of free workshops and events to connect marginalised artists with creativity through film, theatre, photography, ceramics, writing, and more. Refractions is the culmination of a long-term partnership, creating year-round space to share creativity in community, and explore new mediums with queer joy and skill exchange. 

Images: Ellie Morag, Chantelle Gomez, Elle Haswell, and Zachary Ryan. 

In 2024, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society brought the Fringe experience into Oaklands additional needs school as part of its Engagement and Access work. The Fringe Society and the Oaklands school, along with artist Niamh O’Loughlin, curated an interactive show drawing on the importance and exploration of objects, with a multi-sensory approach to ensure all additional needs were met. These photographs depict the freedom and creativity of this project and the inclusive joy that came from it.

Imaginate is the national organisation in Scotland, which develops, presents and celebrates theatre and dance for children and young people. As well as producing the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, Imaginate develops exciting schools projects, runs a schools’ touring programme all over Scotland, and supports artists to make inspiring work for young people.  

Over the last two years, Imaginate has been taking a child’s rights-based approach and is trying to make the views of young people central to the organisation. Creative Encounters is its flagship schools project piloting this new approach. 

The values of discovery and connection guide the work of Edinburgh International Festival – both on and off stage. Their multi-year Community Connections Hub partnership with Space @ The Broomhouse Hub builds co-created programmes rooted in the community’s ideas, which in turn shape the future of the International Festival. The Beacon Club is a shining example of this collaboration, using music to spark joyful connections with people living with dementia and facing social isolation. 

HAIR (Heritage, Attitude, Identity and Respect) is a project between Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (producers of the Edinburgh Festival Carnival), Passion4Fusion, and St Augustine’s RC High School. The project centres on Black Hair stories, exploring key historical and political moments up until the present, and how these are diverse representations of ‘Blackness’/Black Culture. Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the project explores themes through different mediums such as dance, spoken word and film as well as being the inspiration for Carnival costumes.