A festival rich in tradition that includes captivating performances, powerful messages, creative tales, important life lessons, and requires nothing more than a single performer to bring each event to life, is coming to town.

The Montreal Intercultural Storytelling Festival, held every two years, will run from Oct. 18-27 and will feature more than 65 local, international and Indigenous artists.

This year, the festival will be hosting events in new locations throughout the West Island, including five held at the Beaconsfield and Roxboro libraries, so it is more accessible to anglophones and families who don’t live downtown.

One of the 13 English events will be a show by Marta Singh, a Canadian storyteller of Argentinian descent, who will be putting on several performances of Key to the Kingdom, at the Westmount and Roxboro libraries.  Beginning Oct. 19 and geared to kids 5 and up, the show will have action rhymes and ghost tales.

Singh will also be putting on a show for adults and teens (ages 13 and up) at Place des Arts on Oct. 22 and 23 called The Geography Teacher’s Orders. The story is a powerful piece about the importance of speaking up, and is set in a grade 10 geography class in Argentina at the end of the dictatorship. While most of the events are free, this show will cost $22.

Other highlights include Métis storyteller Bruce Sinclair, who will be doing a show at the Centaur Theatre on Oct. 26 called On the Buffalo Hunt: Stories of the Métis People, for children aged 5 and up.

According to Festival Director Stéphanie Bénéteau, Sinclair will have an important role this year as the focus is on increasing Indigenous presence and culture.

For more information, visit festival-conte.qc.ca.