Carrying Stream Festival

The Carrying Stream Festival returns to the Scottish Storytelling Centre from 11 to 17 November, a week of gatherings, talks, workshops and performances that brings together audiences, writers and traditional artists. It's built around the 'Carrying Stream' — the organic route by which music, song, spoken word and culture are passed from person to person and from generation to generation. The festival honours the life and work of Hamish Henderson, the great Scottish folklorist, songwriter and activist, and runs around the anniversary of his birth on 11 November.

The programme kicks off with an Opening Session at Canons' Gait on 11 November at 8:15pm. The following evening is The Flyting at 7pm, and on 13 November, Bothan Dhùn Èideann starts at 7pm. The 14th is a double bill: the Hamish Henderson Memorial Lecture, given this year by Dr Stephanie Smith at 12pm, followed by The Stream Flows On with Janel Henderson at 3pm. On 15 November, there's the film Hamish Henderson - An Artist's Inspiration at 2pm and the Edinburgh Song Session at 3pm. The festival closes with a Cafe Ceilidh on 17 November at 2pm.

That Song Session on the 15th is a particular fixture — it's held jointly with the local branch of the Traditional Music and Song Association and often marks Armistice Day. The Memorial Lecture is also an annual tradition, with a new speaker each year. The whole thing is held in small venues so audiences stay close to what's happening, and while the Scottish Storytelling Centre at 43-45 High Street is the main hub, sessions also run at Canons' Gait and the SSC Netherbow Theatre.

The festival has a long history behind it; the Edinburgh Folk Club ran it for about twenty years before passing the baton, and the Scottish Storytelling Centre is part of its revival alongside friends and partners across the city. Ticket prices are kept deliberately modest and some events are free, so you can pick and choose a few sessions or work your way through the whole week.