Why? Join us in Perth on 14 November for the third Intangible Cultural Heritage Scotland conference. With the UK Government ratifying the 2003 UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in 2024, and the national ICH inventorying process starting soon, this year’s conference will focus on how we move forward with ICH across Scotland. What … Continued

Today (10th September) with support from the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund and Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival launched its 36th festival programme. Lights of the North – L/R Associate Director Daniel Abercrombie, Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival Donald Smith, storyteller Jan Bee Brown and storyteller and musician Marion … Continued

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival, now in its 36th year, (22nd October to 1st November 2025) is the world’s largest celebration of storytelling – encompassing a wealth of cultures, traditions and styles. This year’s programme, inspired by the traditional folklore, myths, and legends of Nordic culture, includes storytelling events for adults and families, workshops, exhibitions, … Continued

TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) is looking for a Digital Marketing & Communications Officer (0.6 FTE, fixed term 12 months) to join our team dedicated to championing our shared living heritage of traditional music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. Reporting to the Marketing & Communications Manager, the Digital Marketing & Communications … Continued

2025 was another successful year for the Pomegranates Festival, which ran from 25th to 30th April. The packed five-day programme of traditional dance, saw ticket sales up by 40% on 2024; a sold-out Ceilidh Plus event mixing Scottish, Hungarian and Polish social dancing; and a packed house for Charlotte McLean’s new not for glory dance … Continued

Exhibition Review by Catherine Coutts     Do I really want to go to see an exhibition about masks? At the start of the decade, masks (the ugly type with elastic bands, which cannot be recycled and were often to be found littering almost everywhere) were a topic of significant discussion. How effective and necessary were … Continued

The Scottish Wildlife Trust, in association with the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, returns with the successful Words of the Wild nature writing competition. What’s the theme?  The competition – which this year is themed ‘From source to sea’ – invites participants to create original written works about Scotland’s freshwater and marine habitats. Entries can be … Continued

TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) is looking for a committed, dynamic and experienced Chair to lead its Board of Trustees from Autumn 2025. TRACS is a co-operative network which champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and local languages. We have recently been awarded Multi-Year Funding from Creative Scotland to … Continued

Everyone is talking about “Intangible Cultural Heritage”, but what is it and why is it important? We’ve put together a Wee Guide to Intangible Cultural Heritage to answer some of the frequently asked questions. A Wee Guide to Intangible Cultural Heritage What is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)? Simply put, you might know it as “tradition”. … Continued

We are delighted to announce Masks – this year’s Pomegranates Festival exhibition, which features over 20 hand-crafted Venetian and world dance masks created by Edinburgh-based artist Lorraine Pritchard. The exhibition is complemented by a new documentary film by Franzis Sánchez from this year’s Venice Carnival. The exhibition reflects the dual focus of our Pomegranates Festival … Continued