Festival City Stories 2

Festival City Stories returned for a second year to platform more stories from year-round partnerships between some of Edinburgh’s leading festivals and local community groups, schools, and organisations. 

In the first year of the collaboration between Edinburgh Festivals and JACK ARTS Scotland, we commissioned emerging illustrators from Edinburgh College of Art to bring quotes of participants from the festivals’ projects to life, and presented their beautiful posters across the city. 

This year we developed the project further, inviting Edinburgh-based photographer Ellie Morag [pictured below] to attend events and workshops across festival projects and gather stories from people involved in these partnerships. 

The resulting artwork of images and words, developed in collaboration with the people sharing their stories, celebrates inclusive storytelling sessions; a social club for older adults; a space for children to express what their rights mean to them; walks offering the chance slow down and connect to the landscape; workshops using the power of objects to unlock creativity; and a place to share and celebrate Black hair stories and practices – all culminating in an accessible street exhibition surrounding Meadowbank Sports Centre.  

To mark the launch of the project we brought the festivals, schools and community groups together for a special event at Meadowbank to celebrate and share these stories, before encouraging everyone to grab a map and explore the full takeover.  

We’ve presented highlights from across the project below, with the full stories available to explore here. 

SENSING STORIES: SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING FESTIVALThe 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

WALK OUT: EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL & RHUBABAEAF 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. 

SENSORY DANCE WORKSHOPS: EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE SOCIETY & OAKLANDS SCHOOL

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.

CREATIVE ENCOUNTERS: IMAGINATE & FORTHVIEW PRIMARY SCHOOLImaginate 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. 

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS, THE BEACON CLUB: EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL & SPACE @ THE BROOMHOUSE HUB 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.