Lanark Storytelling Festival 2026

Join us for a week of stories, conversation, local history and imagination as celebrated storytellers, writers and performers bring Lanark's heritage and folklore to life. Whether you enjoy traditional tales, historical storytelling or contemporary storytelling performances, there's something for everyone throughout the festival. More below:

Monday 19th October | 1:00pm

Tea and a Tale

With: Brawclan
Location: Greyfriars
Price: Donations taken on door

Braw Clan is bringing Tea And A Tale back to Lanark on Monday 19th October, Join us at Greyfriars Parish Church on 19th October, from 1pm - 2pm. Enjoy lively conversation and free coffee, tea and cakes.See a live performance of a Scots story by a professional actor. Have a chat about the story with the actor and other audience members.
This time our reader will be the brilliant Anya Scott-Rodgers. You might know her from The Singing Kettle, FunBox at the Royal Concert Hall and the Tartan Heart Music Festival, Drookit! or Lanark's Lost Scandals And Loveable Rogues at St Nicholas Hall last summer.

She'll be reading Sunnyside - a true story about two adventurous little boys and their dramatic rescue from the Clyde, nearly 100 years ago.
Tea And A Tale is funded by the William Grant Foundation.

Tuesday 20th October | 3:00pm

A Novel Idea

With: Neil Newman
Location: Clydesdale Inn
Price: £5 + Booking fee

Join author Neil Newman at the Clydesdale Inn for an entertaining and insightful afternoon of storytelling & crime fiction, discussing his popular DI Douglas crime series, based in Lanark, with tea, coffee and cakes provided by the Clydesdale Inn.

Wednesday 21st October | 4:00pm

Lanark Tales

With: Paul Archibald
Location: Courtyard
Price: £10 + booking fee

Explore the rich history, lore and legends of Lanark through an afternoon of captivating local stories. Paul Archibald brings the town's heritage vividly to life with tales old and new. Ticket includes tapas and wine provided by The Courtyard.

Thursday 22nd October | 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Tales from the Graveyard

With: Eleanor McLean
Location: Lanark Cemetery + Valerios
Price: £7.50 + booking fee

A guided tour of Lanark Cemetery and its notable gravestones. Explore the cemetery with guide Eleanor McLean and find out about the famous, and infamous, buried there. With refreshments provided by Valerios after the walk.

Friday 23rd October | 19:00

Halloween Tales

With: Allison Galbraith & Tony Bonning
Location: The Crown
Price: £12 + booking fee

Prepare for an evening of eerie entertainment as Allison Galbraith and Tony Bonning share spine-tingling tales, folklore and ghost stories that are sure to send a shiver down your spine.

Saturday 24th October | 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Year of the Horse

With: Allison Galbraith & Tony Bonning
Location: Greyfriars
Age: 10+
Price: Free

Traditional Scottish storytelling filled with the spirit of the Fire Horse. Tony Bonning recounts his epic adventure travelling Scotland with his horse, Chief, collecting Kelpie tales along the way, whilst Allison Galbraith shares European and Scottish horse legends and the true story of a local, fiery Clydesdale. Join two horse enthusiasts as they take you trekking through time and the mysteries of horse lore. The session includes 30 minutes for Q+A at the end.
You can bring your own refreshments to this event.
Year of the Horse is courtesy of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival.

Sunday 25th October | 10:00am to 4:00pm

Telling New Lanark's Stories

With: New Lanark World Heritage Site
Location: New Lanark, Robert Owen's School for Children
Price : Free

Concluding the festival, this day-long event Telling New Lanark's Stories - A Celebration of New Lanark's History Through Stories from the Past, will celebrate the New Lanark Oral History Archive by sharing existing stories, encouraging conversations about the Mill's past, and collecting new memories and experiences for future generations.