Glen Eira Storytelling Festival returns this winter with something a little different on the cards.
Running from 18 June to 5 July 2026, the festival spreads across 17 days and into some unexpected spaces, think libraries, local venues, cinemas and the historic Rippon Lea Estate, with a program that pulls storytelling well out of the realm of the quiet and the bookish.
This year’s lineup leans hard into live, experimental and performance-based storytelling, with some seriously fun concepts making their way into the mix.
Glen Eira Storytelling Festival
- 18 June – 5 July 2026
- Libraries, local venues, cinemas and Rippon Lea Estate, Glen Eira
- Tickets here
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Plot Twist sees crime writers Gabriel Bergmoser and Laura McCluskey build a brand-new novel live on stage through improvisation, while Murder in the Mansion brings an immersive whodunnit murder mystery to Rippon Lea Estate, paired with high tea.
Dead Comics Society features comedians Andrea Powell and Francis Greenslade performing literary works with a comedic edge, and 95-year-old performer Liz Hicklin is bringing her own comedy show to prove storytelling truly has no age limit.
The program also makes room for poetry, with workshops and an open mic hosted by Brian Nankervis, plus a Multilingual Storytelling Showcase celebrating voices from across Glen Eira’s diverse community.
On the bigger conversation side of things, The Shortest History of Australia brings together Mark McKenna and Jack Latimore, while Writers as Readers is hosted by Benjamin Law.
Across its 17 days, the festival mixes laugh-out-loud performances with thoughtful conversations and hands-on workshops, a broad enough offering that there’s genuinely something for most kinds of literary-curious people.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Glen Eira City Council.
