Storytelling festival planned for weekend

Kochi: FESTA 2026, the first storytelling festival of its kind in the state, is set to take place on Saturday and Sunday at Mulanthuruthy in Ernakulam. Renowned writer Paul Zacharia will officially inaugurate the festival on Saturday morning.The two-day event will feature 30 storytellers from across the country, along with 20 ‘social storytellers' from diverse walks of life. These speakers will share narratives rooted in lived experiences and social realities. The lineup includes music director Bijibal, politician C P John, spiritual leader Fr Bobby Kattikad, psychiatrist Dr C J John, social activist M Geethanandan, writer and activist Nalini Jameela, wildlife photographer and author N A Naseer and lawyer Harish Vasudevan among others. Over the course of the weekend, FESTA will host 43 live storytelling sessions, complemented by workshops, music performances and a giant puppet parade. The festival will spread across three venues within the Ala campus, as well as at the open stage of Mulanthuruthy grama panchayat. A key highlight is the digital documentation of stories, interactions, workshops and performances. This initiative aims to create a long-term cultural archive that will serve as a valuable resource for students and future learners. FESTA is organised by district tourism promotion council and Mulanthuruthy grama panchayat along with Ala Centre for Culture and Alternative Education. "FESTA explores storytelling as a powerful medium of human connection and expression. Interactive workshops guide participants to shape stories from their own lived experiences. FESTA 2026 marks the foundation of a storytelling platform emerging from Kerala and evolving toward an internationally recognised gathering for human narratives, performance storytelling and cultural dialogue," said Lijo Joseph, DTPC secretary.