Festival of Storytelling at Ala
11 & 12 April 2026
FESTA is a curated live storytelling festival held at the Ala Centre for Culture and Alternative Education in Kerala. Conceived as a two day cultural gathering, it brings together regional, national, and invited international storytellers in a shared public space dedicated to listening.
FESTA presents approximately 100 curated storytelling sessions across two days . Each day unfolds across multiple venues at Ala, culminating in evening public storytelling gatherings. The programme balances senior storytelling practitioners, invited national and international artists, and emerging voices, creating a layered and inter-generational platform.
Live Storytelling Sessions
At the heart of FESTA are live oral storytelling performances. These sessions explore themes such as identity, love, power, profession, migration, land, future visions, and human choices.
Organisation Story Presentations
FESTA includes institutional storytelling sessions where organisations present their journeys through narrative rather than formal presentations
Digital Human Library
FESTA initiates the Digital Human Library; a long term archival project documenting contemporary lived experiences through recorded storytelling
Workshops
Interactive workshops guide participants in shaping stories from their own experiences. These sessions function as learning spaces, encouraging reflection, articulation, and creative expression.
Pre Festival Community Outreach
Beginning prior to the festival, structured storytelling outreach programmes are conducted in institutions such as hospitals, juvenile homes, rehabilitation centres, and other community spaces.
General Audience
FESTA 2026 welcomes a broad and diverse public audience, creating a shared listening environment across its campus venues. The festival attracts students, artists, educators, cultural practitioners, families, and local community; a collective cultural event.
Community Participants
Beyond the main campus programme, FESTA engages participants through structured pre-festival outreach in institutions such as hospitals, juvenile homes, rehabilitation centres, and other community spaces.
Participatory Learning
These workshops also function as participatory learning spaces where individuals engage in reflection, articulation, and creative expression
