About the Festival
The Toronto International Storytelling Festival celebrates oral storytelling with traditional stories, personal true stories, poetry and so much more. Promoting the sharing of values and cultures that connect us together, the Festival also honours the many cultural traditions that come together in Toronto — one of the greatest crossroad cities in the world.
It is one of the world’s largest and oldest urban celebrations of live storytelling, oral traditions, and cultural diversity. We’ve pioneered grassroots storytelling in the community, and especially the importance of storytelling as a way to build intercultural and inter-generational bridges.
The Toronto International Storytelling Festival is produced by Storytelling Toronto, a Toronto based charity, that promotes and teaches the art of oral storytelling.
Festival Team
Get to know your 2023 Toronto International Storytelling Festival team!
Festival Curators
Explore each curator’s bio and vision for this year’s festival by clicking on their names.
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A Letter from the E.D.
I would like to welcome you to the 44th Annual Toronto International Storytelling Festival. We hope that you will take in as many stories as your ears can hold and that you will invite your friends and family to join you! I believe you will find that oral storytelling creates just the right environment for healthy communities, respite from a chaotic world, and meaningful arts engagement.
A Note from the Board
Forty-four and stronger than ever! STT strives to advocate, educate, and inspire people about the art of oral storytelling, and to do this in a way that reflects our values of respect for the many traditions of telling, inclusiveness, and innovation. No tall order for the festival team, and once again they have succeeded in creating a line up with fabulous tellers from different traditions, places, lived experiences, and abilities.
How-to-Festival
Use the guide below to help you plan your festival experience and make the most of this 10-day celebration!
- Start on our Events page, or in the Festival Digital Program, and read about the incredible lineup of events at this year’s Festival.
- Make note of which events you would like to attend – between all of the Concerts, Talks, and Workshops in the schedule, we haven’t made this easy for you!
- Create an Account so that all of your tickets, videos, and receipts will be in one place
- Register for and purchase tickets to all of the events you wish to attend!
If you prefer to watch instructional videos instead, check out our How-To-Festival-Guide Playlist on YouTube!
This year, there are a few ways to engage with Festival Events – In Person, Online, or On Demand. Here are some things to keep in mind for each.
In Person
- We are continuing to work with our venue partners to uphold their house regulations as well as regularly reviewing our own policies to continue to do what we can, with the knowledge that we have available to us, to keep our community healthy and safe. Head to our COVID-19 Policy page for the most up-to-date information.
- This year we are not selling Festival Passes, therefore we strongly advise purchasing tickets to in-person events in advance. Tickets will be sold at the door, but purchasing in advance guarantees your admission. All seating is general admission.
Online
- Some online events will be happening on Zoom, and the others will be viewable on YouTube. Links to the Live Stream of festival events are included in your ticket confirmation email. Please read through and keep all confirmation emails.
On Demand
- Some Concerts and Talks will be recorded and available to watch On Demand until May 29th. This allows you to watch (or re-watch) events at your leisure!
- On Demand tickets will go on sale after the festival is over, on May 15th.
Storytelling is all about building community. Let your friends know what events you are attending by clicking the “Share” button in the Event Description!
Share your experience of the Festival by posting about it on Social Media – and don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag #TISF2022
Accessibility
Storytelling Toronto and the Toronto International Storytelling Festival are committed to increasing accessibility for our audiences. If you have access needs or have any questions about accessibility at Storytelling Toronto and the Toronto International Storytelling Festival, please contact our team at access@storytellingtoronto.org