Valley of Tales Festival
The festival of tales and legends in the heart of the Munster valley
2026
About Valley of Tales
Valley of Tales — edition 2026
For its 27th edition, running from October 2nd to 18th, 2026, the Festival de la Vallée des Contes explores the theme "Par Monts et par Mots". Sixteen events are spread across nine villages in the Munster valley, featuring Alsatian tales with Gérard Leser, a storytelling walk in the peat bog, a storytelling mass at Saint-Léger church, youth shows with snacks, and a storytelling contest concluding on October 18th.
The 27th edition of the Festival de la Vallée des Contes takes place from October 2nd to 18th, 2026, in the Munster valley, centered on the theme "Par Monts et par Mots". The program features sixteen shows and events across Eschbach-au-Val, Munster, Breitenbach, Stosswihr, Metzeral, Gunsbach, Turckheim, Zimmerbach, and Wintzenheim.
Highlights include Alsatian storytelling with Philippe Breitel, Jean-Marc Dierstein, and Gérard Leser during a dinner evening at Auberge du Braunkopf (Metzeral, October 9th, reservations required), a lecture by Gérard Leser on Alsatian gnomes, a storytelling mass at Saint-Léger church in Munster, and a storytelling walk in the peat bog featuring Irish tales and music, which closes the festival on October 18th alongside the storytelling contest awards.
Several youth shows are available, complete with snacks: Le garçon et les dragons, Les graines de Chepakoi, Contes tirés du sac, and Mìr gehn ùf Bremen. A free introduction to the art of storytelling, led by Catherine Meyer, will be held on October 18th at the Château du Hohlandsbourg (Wintzenheim).
Highlights Valley of Tales 2026
- 27th edition, theme "Par Monts et par Mots", from October 2nd to 18th, 2026
- Alsatian storytelling dinner evening at Auberge du Braunkopf, Metzeral (October 9th)
- Lecture by Gérard Leser on Alsatian gnomes, Munster Media Library (October 6th, free)
- Storytelling walk in the peat bog and storytelling contest awards ceremony (October 18th)
- Four youth shows with snacks, held in villages throughout the valley
Programme Valley of Tales 2026
Friday, October 2nd — Festival Opening
- 8:00 PM — Léa Pellarin, Brumes · Salle Dorfhüss, Eschbach-au-Val — 10 € (all ages, 5+)
Saturday, October 3rd
- 3:00 PM — Livia and Cédric Petit-Sauvage, Le garçon et les dragons, includes snack · Salle de la Laub, Munster — 5 € (children, 3+)
- 8:00 PM — Alice Beaufort, Raphaël Venin, Nouvelles mutantes · Espace Belle Époque, Breitenbach — 10 €
Sunday, October 4th
- 10:30 AM — Béatrice Schilling, François, le petit pauvre d'Assise (storytelling mass) · Saint-Léger Catholic Church, Munster — free
Tuesday, October 6th
- 6:00 PM — Lecture by Gérard Leser, Les gnomes en Alsace, habitants des profondeurs de la terre et gardiens de ses trésors · Media Library, Munster — free
Thursday, October 8th
- 8:00 PM — B. Kormann, É. Brandt, G. Pequignot, D. Besserer, Mémoires du Hêtre-Conteur · Village Hall, Stosswihr — 10 €
Friday, October 9th — Dinner evening
- 7:00 PM — P. Breitel, J-M. Dierstein, G. Leser, A gfitzter Owa ùff elsassisch mit Witz, Liader un Gschichta · Auberge du Braunkopf, Metzeral — 30 € (includes dinner, reservations required at Les Confins bookstore, 36 Grand'Rue, Munster, 09 83 65 88 86)
Saturday, October 10th
- 2:30 PM — Emmanuelle Filippi-Hahn, Yolène Schildknecht, Les graines de Chepakoi, includes snack · Maison Albert Schweitzer, Gunsbach — 5 € (children, family audience)
- 4:00 PM — Catherine Piron-Paira, Sylvain Piron, Contes tirés du sac, includes snack · Maison Albert Schweitzer, Gunsbach — 5 € (children, 6+)
- 8:00 PM — Olivier de Robert, La conterie du jour · Foyer André, Turckheim — 10 €
Sunday, October 11th
- 1:45 PM — Gérard Leser, Les ruines du Schwartzenbourg et la dame blanche · Schlosswald pond parking, Munster — 10 €
Friday, October 16th
- 8:00 PM — Fred Duvaud, La partie de Scrabble · Salle du Hohnack, Zimmerbach — 10 €
Saturday, October 17th
- 3:00 PM — Isabelle Grussenmeyer, Mìr gehn ùf Bremen / En route vers Brême, includes snack · Salle de la Laub, Munster — 5 € (children, family audience)
- 8:00 PM — Anne Borlée, Celles qui veillent · Village Hall, Munster — 10 €
Sunday, October 18th — Closing
- 2:30 PM — Catherine Meyer, The Art of Storytelling workshop (2h) · Château du Hohlandsbourg, Wintzenheim — free
- 6:00 PM — D. Toutain, D. Quillard, Ballade dans la tourbière, Irish tales and music, followed by the storytelling contest awards ceremony · Village Hall, Munster — 10 €
Full program published by the organizer on the 2026 flyer (source: valleedescontes.org). Tickets available on-site before each show; adult price 10 €, reduced price 5 € (students, unemployed, children under 12), youth shows 5 €.
Prices Valley of Tales 2026
Practical information — Valley of Tales
Practical Information
Period
The festival takes place every year in October, over approximately three weeks. Evening and weekend performances in the 15 villages of the valley.
Access
- By car: Munster is accessible via the D417 from Colmar (20 km). The villages in the valley are served by departmental roads.
- By train: Munster station (TER line from Colmar, 20 min). Some villages are accessible by bus from Munster.
Prices
Performances: €10 to €15 (full price), €5 to €7.50 (reduced price: students, job seekers, children under 12). Young audience performances: €5. Festival pass (14 performances): €50. Storytelling meals: €25 to €30 (reservation required).
Booking
Tickets on sale at the venue before each performance. Reservation required for storytelling meals.
Contact
Association Projets pour la Vallée
Tel: 06 44 93 34 84
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.valleedescontes.org
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.
Where does it take place — Valley of Tales
Valley of Tales in brief
History of Valley of Tales
Edition 2025 Oct 2025Other festivals near Munster
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