Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival
First hosted in 2006, the Festival features regional, national, and international storytellers, and encompasses a School Program and Public Events in both English and French.
Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival
Storytelling on the Path to Peace | Se raconter une nouvelle histoire de paix
Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival 2026
The 20th edition of the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival - English took place Wednesday, April 29 to Saturday, May 2, 2026. This year's Festival included a school program for K-12 schools, storytelling workshops and events for local storytellers, and public performances by local and international storytellers.
Information about the 2026 Festival du Conte de Winnipeg featuring French storytelling, generously supported by the Le Bureau de l’éducation française de Manitoba can be found here: Le Festival du Conte de Winnipeg
The 2026 Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival is produced with the primary funding support of the Winnipeg Foundation, Winnipeg School Division, Blankstein Fund for Storytelling Dialogue, and le Bureau de l'éducation française, through the French Second Language Revitalization Program.
A special thank you to our collaborating partners, the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Winnipeg Story Slam, and Kahanee, with additional support from the Muslim Legacy Fund.
Public Events
Storytelling is a unique art form. From tradititional stories to personal narrative, the breadth of possibilities means experiencing a storytelling event is unlike any other.
The Heron's Journey
In 2026, our featured public show was The Heron’s Journey. The show combined spoken storytelling, quilting, paper sculpture, and intentional movement. Meeting the title character Lake in various forms of self-discovery on his journey from boy to heron. Featured storyteller, Adam Booth's performance art piece shared an allegory filled with magic, challenges to opposition, and transformation. Audience members found themselves deep within the story, echoing themes such as immigration, orientation, ability, spiritual freedom, and self-awareness.
This show was preceded by featured Local Storytellers: Somia Sadiq and Rylee Nepinak
Saturday Night Storytelling
The best of featured and local storytellers from this year’s festival – a unique evening of traditional and personal narrative storytelling.
Featuring:
ADAM BOOTH, 2022 West Virginia Governor’s Arts Awards Folk Artist of the Year, creator of The Heron’s Journey
LEIGH-ANNE KEHLER, Winnipeg-based, internationally acclaimed storyteller, playwright and actor
SCOTT WHITEHAIR, Producer of This Much is True, one of Chicago’s longest running personal narrative series, creator of Story Lab Chicago
Also Featuring: Additional Local Storytellers in collaboration with Winnipeg Story Slam
Bring Your Class to the Storytelling Festival
Since 2006, the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival has been welcoming as many as 4,500 to 5,000 students and teachers to the Storytelling Festival every year (pre-pandemic). There is no cost to participate in the festival.
A Grade K-8 class visit to the Storytelling Festival includes either morning or afternoon participation in the following:
(i) Storytelling Workshop (Storyshop – 55-minutes) A grade-level-specific, facilitated storytelling workshop designed for students to consider their own personal stories and to express that through the activity. Different methods include puppetry, theatre-based approaches, written stories, weaving/beading approaches, among others.
(ii) Storytelling Show (Storyshow – 55-minutes) Four classes come together in one auditorium to watch a traditional storytelling performance. Two local storytellers or one local storyteller and one featured visiting international storyteller, are paired and present one Storyshow.
For more information about bringing your K-12 class to the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival, please contact mauro.institute@umanitoba.ca