The Norwegian Storytelling Festival
Fortellerfestivalen 2026
The next festival will take place from 19-22 March in Oslo. The theme is Journeys.
From flights of fancy and personal growth to intrepid travel and the daily commute, this year’s festival will explore the various journeys people make. We will allow stories to transport us and, along the way, reflect on our collective wanderlust and drive towards new places and new goals.
The programme will include stories of journeys of all kinds; internal and external, metaphorical and physical, real and imagined. There will be journeys of choice and journeys of necessity. We will celebrate the experiences, connections and understanding that travel can bring, and acknowledge the subtle changes that even the shortest of journeys can create.
You can find the full programme at www.fortellerfestivalen.no/festival26.
Events in English are listed here:
For more information, recommendations or advice in English please contact post@fortellerfestivalen.no. We will be glad to guide you on your festival journey!
It will also be possible for English speakers to participate in Story hangout on Friday 20 March at 21:00 (after From the Mountains to the Sea). This is a social event where guests are invited to explore the theme of «Journeys» by sharing short stories and anecdotes in small groups. Join us to hear and tell both short and tall tales from here, there and everywhere! Free and unticketed.
About us
Fortellerfestivalen - The Norwegian Storytelling Festival presents an international programme of high quality oral storytelling performances, workshops and events every spring in Oslo, Norway.
The festival is organised by Fortellersentrum - The Norwegian Storytelling Centre, which works to celebrate, sustain, and renew the traditional art of oral storytelling by presenting artistically ambitious storytelling performances with a range of expressions and formats; from folk tales to storyslam, multilingual performances and site-specific work. Through partnership with a range of venues we seek to grow audiences and highlight different aspects of the artform, including tradition and intangible cultural heritage, dramaturgy and stagecraft, improvisation, personal stories and social connection.
Beyond the festival, a year-round professional programme of workshops, coaching, storytelling and networking events creates opportunities and inspiration for artistic development. Through participation in the national Network for Oral Storytelling in Norway and FEST - Federation for European Storytelling we work to promote and develop storytelling nationally and internationally.
Fortellerfestivalen was started in 2004 and became a foundation in 2013. The organisation expanded to form Fortellersentrum in 2023. The foundation is currently run by a board of directors, a part time Executive Director and an artistic council responsible for programming and artistic development. The board is appointed and supported by a general assembly consisting of representatives of the organisation’s founders.
We generally announce an open call for programme suggestions in May/June each year.