Valley of Tales Festival

A Quarter Century of Tales in the Munster Valley

Created in 1999 from an original idea by folklorist Gérard Leser, president of the Société d'Histoire de la Vallée de Munster, the Valley of Tales Festival has become, in over twenty-five years, one of the most important storytelling festivals in Alsace. Every autumn, for three weeks in October, the fifteen villages of the valley — from Munster to Metzeral, from Stosswihr to Breitenbach — transform into intimate stages where stories and legends from around the world resonate.

A Traveling Festival in Authentic Settings

The festival's strength lies in its local roots. Performances do not take place in conventional halls, but in the Dorfhüss (village halls), churches, farm inns, the Maison Albert Schweitzer, and even outdoors, during storytelling walks through the Vosges forests and meadows. This intimacy between the storyteller, the audience, and the place creates a unique atmosphere conducive to wonder.

Tales from Alsace and Around the World

The program skillfully blends Alsatian oral traditions — tales in dialect, legends of the Vosges, stories from the Black Forest — with repertoires from around the world: Mongolian tales, West African wisdom, Irish legends, Mediterranean stories. Professional storytellers from all over France and beyond share their art with family audiences, in a spirit of transmission and sharing. Specific shows for young audiences complement a rich program of about fifteen performances.

Gourmet Evenings and Original Creations

The festival also offers original formats: storytelling meals combine a regional dinner — valley tart, farm-fresh Munster cheese — with an evening of stories, in a friendly and warm atmosphere. Cine-tales, musical performances, and new creations blending music, song, and narration enrich each edition. The festival also organizes a storytelling competition open to all, revealing new talents in narrative writing.

The Autumn of Storytellers

Supported by the association Projets pour la Vallée, the festival is committed to promoting the intangible heritage of the Munster valley. By combining oral tradition with the discovery of the territory, it offers a unique cultural experience where living word becomes the common thread of a poetic and sensory exploration of one of the most beautiful sites in the Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges.