National Storytelling Festival 2023 – TN
October 6 @ 10:00 am - October 8 @ 10:00 pm CDT
$50 – $115
Held in Jonesborough, the Storytelling Capital of the World is the National Storytelling Festival. Stories from around the world are told throughout the town featuring famous tellers like Donald Davis, Mary Gauthier, Kevin Kling, Minton Sparks and Regi Carpenter. Immerse yourself in the stories performed on stage and under tents. Ghost stories, the Yarnspinners’ Party and pre-festival workshops and concerts are fan favorites.
Over 40 years ago, a high school journalism teacher and a carload of students heard Grand Ole Opry regular Jerry Clower spin a tale over the radio about coon hunting in Mississippi. And the teacher, Jimmy Neil Smith, had a sudden inspiration: Why not have a storytelling festival right here in northeast Tennessee?
Every October since 1973, thousands of travelers have visited Tennessee’s oldest town. They come for one purpose–to hear stories and to tell them at the National Storytelling Festival. This celebration of America’s rich and varied storytelling tradition, the oldest and most respected gathering anywhere in America devoted to storytelling, has in turn spawned a national revival of this venerable art. ISC is excited to welcome you to the storytelling capital of the world October 6-8, 2023 to celebrate the power of storytelling.
Here’s how the Festival works: Large, circus-type tents are scattered throughout charming, downtown Jonesborough. Each tent has plenty of seating. Regular programming is then scheduled in each tent throughout the day; our attendees simply choose which tent they want to attend at which time. The tents are all located within easy walking distance of each other. You will be given a program which will include the schedule when you pick up your passes at Festival Headquarters, located in the Jonesborough Visitor’s Center. Regular Festival programming is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. The complete schedule can be viewed online a few days prior to the Festival.
