Story & Song Announces the Second Annual Amelia Island Festival of Stories & Songs

Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture presents the second annual Amelia Island Festival of Stories & Songs Jan. 30-Feb. 2, 2025, the latest addition to the many Festivals hosted on Amelia Island throughout the year. The programs highlight the art of storytelling, featuring both professional storytellers and musicians whose songs tell stories.

For thousands of years, stories have been carved, scratched, painted, printed or inked, passed down from generation to generation. Yet stories come to life when spoken. Today, there is a renaissance in stories told in a personal, authentic way, bringing people together to remind us of our shared human experience. There are now storytelling festivals in dozens of states around the country, including the Florida Storytelling Festival in Mt. Dora. As an indication of their popularity, thousands of people travel to Jonesborough, Tennessee for the annual International Storytelling Festival.

At the Amelia Island Festival of Stories & Songs, you’ll have the opportunity to be entertained by nationally known storytellers Bil Lepp, April Armstrong, and Connie Regan-Blake. Kevin Kling partners with Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jon Vezner in a performance called “I Like This Town,” and bestselling Southern humorist and beloved writer Rick Bragg, whose stories about family and growing up in Possum Trot, Alabama, garnered a Pulitzer Prize.

Award-winning actress and storyteller April Armstrong weaves melodies and words into fun and interactive stories that children and people of all ages will find enchanting. For those who wish to learn or fine-tune the craft of storytelling, a storytelling workshop will be facilitated by Connie Regan-Blake, who will share tips and techniques.

The festival will also feature two special programs that bring stories to life: “Scraps of Quilting,” an ode to American quilting performed by multi-instrumentalist Lil’ Rev; and a tribute to historical figures performed by Diane Johnson and Cora Newcombe.

A Festival highlight will be “Kitchen Talk,” with local contributors to a new Amelia Island community cookbook, “The Amelia Island Table: Celebrating Community with Stories and Recipes,” with proceeds to benefit Barnabas Center.

The mission of Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture is to enrich the lives of Amelia Island residents and visitors with experiences that inform, connect, celebrate, and inspire community vitality.

For more information, visit Story & Song or call 904-601-2118.