Sunday 2 November sees the Glorious Half-Mile to Holyrood – the Canongate – come to life with a free afternoon of story sessions, walks and tours, followed by the book launch of John Fee’s ‘Old Town Tales’
A special afternoon of events in the Canongate area of the city will mark the end of this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Free family-friendly events; walks, talks and storytelling will be taking place in the Museum of Edinburgh, Canongate Kirk, the People’s Story Museum, Acheson House and the Scottish Parliament. The events will celebrate the festival’s theme of ‘Once Upon a Place’ and reflect the fascinating stories and wonderful history of this vibrant area of Edinburgh.
Councillor Steve Cardownie from Edinburgh City Council said:
"There could be no better setting for hearing stories of Old Edinburgh than the history-soaked surroundings of the Canongate. The Glorious Half Mile to Holyrood event will be a great day out for families, and will animate the area with an afternoon of story sessions, talks, walks and tours. The Festival even includes a storytelling session at the Council’s own Museum of Edinburgh, which is a great stop to discover the roots of the Old Town and how Edinburgh has grown into the vibrant Capital city it is today.”
The festivities conclude at the Scottish Storytelling Centre at 5pm a celebration of the late John Fee, who was a storyteller of Edinburgh’s Old Town. The event will mark the launch of his posthumous book of ‘Old Town Tales’, the third in the Journeys and Evocations following on from the acclaimed Arthur’s Seat and Calton Hill volumes.
John Fee was a true storytelling artist, painting verbal pictures, setting off on digressions and moving effortlessly into a song or poem. He has uncovered little-known aspects of the Royal Mile along with long-forgotten characters who spring back to life through the storyteller’s art.
This collection focuses on the extensive history and folklore surrounding Edinburgh’s atmospheric Old Town, as storytellers Audrey Parks, Millie Gray, Colin Mackay, Jack Martin and Claire McNicol come together to share these tales and lead you on a vivid trip with John Fee through Edinburgh’s Old Town as you’ve never seen it before, with this wonderful blend of prose, poetry, photography and incredible stories from another era of one of Edinburgh’s most renowned districts
Donald Smith, Festival Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival added:
“This is our finale event of our 25th anniversary festival and we are delighted to bring the streets of the Canongate alive with tales of the past and a celebration of Edinburgh; a place of great literary importance and the inspiration for many many stories.”
Canongate: The Glorious Half Mile to Holyrood; Sunday 2 November, 1pm – 4pm, FREE, All Ages, Various locations. A link to the full programme for the day, is here: http://www.tracscotland.org/sites/default/files/Canongate%20Leaflet.pdf
John Fee’s Old Town Journeys and Evocations, Sunday 2 November, 5pm, £6 (£4), adults: concessions: £4
For more information visit www.tracscotland.org
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