Storywalks in the woods, campfire tales and family storytelling all day are all on the programme for the fifth Martineau Gardens Storytelling Festival. Community Garden Martineau Gardens and the Traditional Arts Team have joined forces to create the Martineau Gardens Storytelling Festival, a family friendly day of storytelling plus arts, music, crafts and dance taking place on Saturday 25 June, 11am – 7pm.
There will be a full programme of storytelling taking place under cover, in hidden corners of the two and half acre leafy community garden, not far from Birmingham city centre. From woodland glades to the sundial lawn, there will be a continuous stream of storytelling performances during the day aimed at everyone from little children right up to adults. There will be stories with food, stories with walks, stories with pictures and a continuous Pop-Up storytelling canopy where the audience can listen to one story or stay all day. Hear rousing yarns around the pirate ship, and as the festival draws to an end, campfire tales will bring all around the campfire for the finale.
Fun for children includes nature-themed stories, songs and activities for under-5s, stories with riddles, mask-making, tales around the earth oven, tree tales in the wood and stories for older children in the Epic Tent.
Performers include Graham Langley, Cath Edwards, Catriona Heatherington and Sharon Carr. There will be live music from Moseley Village Band. Black Adder Morris dancers will have toes tapping, clad in brightly coloured raggedy costumes, to the sounds of traditional instruments and the cracking of sticks, this is a high energy performance not to be missed.
A festival wouldn’t be a festival without the food - delicious tapas, cakes and salads will be available all day from ChangeKitchen CIC.
Graham Langley, of the Traditional Arts Team said: “Martineau Gardens is the perfect place to experience the magic of storytelling.” Caroline Hutton, Director of Martineau Gardens said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming new faces to Martineau Gardens through this Storytelling Festival.”