Hastings Storytelling Festival offers entertainment for all ages

Hastings Storytelling Festival returns with the theme of Welcome

The Hastings Storytelling Festival is back on Friday 17 October, filling the town with tales, music, dance and performance for all ages for ten days. There are events across Hastings and St Leonards – many of them free – this year’s programme celebrates openness, connection and community through the power of storytelling. Erica Smith gets ready for storytime.

One of the biggest highlights of the programme is Festival Patron Axel Scheffler, the internationally celebrated illustrator of The Gruffalo and more than 200 other children’s books. Axel will present his book Welcome at White Rock Studio on Saturday 25 October, where audiences can enjoy stories, live drawings and a book signing.

Families can also look forward to the much-loved Children’s Day on Sunday 26 October at The Stade. This free afternoon is packed with puppet shows, storytelling, live music and workshops, ending with a colourful ‘toybox’-themed parade led by carnival costumier Donna Fox.

© Zed Gregory

There’s a diverse range of events for adult audiences too. Award-winning British-Nigerian poet Theresa Lola brings an evocative evening of spoken word to Mama Putts in St Leonards. hotpencil press hosts Letter to My Little Trans Self at The Printworks, a moving evening of live readings and conversation exploring the importance of publishing trans voices. The Sujata Banerjee Dance Company presents a dazzling intergenerational Kathak showcase at Sacred Heart School, while Hastings town centre will glow with CODEX, a six-metre illuminated talking storybook projection.

Other highlights include Karen Arthur sharing Grandma’s Locs at Hastings Library, celebrating natural Black hair and heritage. Bev Lee Harling presents Hey Good Looking, a heartfelt evening of story and song about family and dementia at White Rock Studio. Families can dive into Dens & Signals’ Myth Monster, a participatory audio adventure at Sandown School, while Tricia Durdey combines memoir, dance and aerial hoop in Upside Down in a Hoop at Stade Hall.

The festival opens on Friday 17 October with a free professional development workshop for teachers, authors and storytellers led by award-winning author Tolá Okogwu at Hastings Library.

Festival Patron, Axel Scheffler said:
“I am honoured and delighted to be patron of the Hastings Storytelling Festival for the next three years. It’s great to support the festival’s engagement with families and children encouraging enjoyment of books, reading and drawing.”

The Hastings Storytelling Festival runs from 17 to 26 October 2025 at venues across Hastings and St Leonards. Some events are free, others ticketed at accessible prices, and all children under 10 can attend for free. The full programme, booking details and updates are at www.hastingsstoryfest.org.uk.

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