The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) will take place from Wednesday 21st to Saturday 31st October 2026. This year, we open up rich relationships between storytelling and the natural environment, exploring the traditional and contemporary ties between humans, birds and the animal world through our theme ‘Bird and Beast‘. SISF now invites proposals for consideration … Continued

I have been fascinated by bagpipes for as long as I can remember. It began, I’m told, when, as a three-year-old boy growing up in the Perthshire town of Pitlochry, I used to demand to be taken down to the main street every week in the summer months to watch the local pipe band, the … Continued

Today, on World Storytelling Day (Friday 20 March), TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) is delighted to announce the appointment of Daniel Abercrombie as the new Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. An experienced creative arts producer deeply embedded within the storytelling community in Scotland, Daniel will take up his appointment from April 2026. … Continued

The Traditional Music Forum of Scotland is delighted to be heading to CatStrand in New Galloway in May for more Essential Skills Workshops for Traditional Musicians, this time with festival organiser, folk music agent, and creative producer Katch Holmes. Our industry-focussed workshops are designed to offer invaluable insights and practical guidance for musicians and organisations working within … Continued

The Traditional Music Forum of Scotland is delighted to be heading to An Lanntair in Stornoway, for the first of our 2026 Essential Skills Workshops for Traditional Musicians, with more workshops to be announced soon! Our industry-focussed workshops are designed to offer invaluable insights and practical guidance for musicians and organisations working within traditional music … Continued

Secret marriages, hand-crafted love notes, and carefully chosen tokens of affection – six hundred years ago, these were the kinds of Valentine’s Day customs one might have been privy to. Emerging from a weaving of Roman, pagan and Christian traditions, Valentine’s Day has shifted and been reshaped over centuries, with many Scottish customs long held … 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

It’s always hard to know where to start a story. So we thought we’d start this blog with a wee description of a scene from our new show Deiseil: Dancing in Time, which we hope captures some of the complexities and joys of being part of the revived tradition of stepdance in Scotland. “Abair ach … Continued

The Traditional Arts and Culture Fund, previously known as Tasgadh, is now open for applications (19 January 2026). Gaelic Language Version The fund, administered by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland), offers small grants of up to £1,200 to artists, community groups, and grassroots organisations working across Scotland’s traditional music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, indigenous … Continued

As we gather ourselves around the fire and the cool mist of December rolls in, many of us slip instinctively into festive ritual. The boxes of décor make their descent from the attic, our special crockery make its annual appearance, and we greet the season with nostalgic flavours that bring back memories and stories. These … Continued