2025 Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival

The 11th annual Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival will be held in person on April 4-5, 2025, and will be viewable online through May 10, 2025. The festival will showcase the art of storytelling with an emphasis on traditional and contemporary Appalachian stories. The GMSF offers storytelling and musical performances, children's events, and workshops so that community members, visitors from afar, and students of all ages can not only learn about the tradition and history of our region through storytelling, but also have the opportunity to become part of its preservation.

We're thrilled to be at The Ridges Resort on Lake Chatuge (3499 US-76, Young Harris, GA 30582), a lovely lakeside venue with plentiful parking and a terrific view of the surrounding area. You're in for a treat!

If you can't attend the festival in person on April 4-5 but don't want to miss the fun, you can sign up for an "online viewing" ticket and join us virtually. Selected sessions will be live streamed during the festival, and you will be able to watch recordings of the storytelling sessions and workshops through May 10. See the ticket page for details.

Our featured tellers for the 2025 festival are:

• Bil Lepp
• Dovie Thomason
• Paul Strickland
• Ray Christian
• Mo Reynolds

Peter Cook was originally scheduled to perform at the 2025 festival but has had to withdraw. We are looking forward to featuring Peter at a future festival. In his place for 2025, we are pleased to bring you Paul Strickland, a wonderful teller whose stories and songs delight listeners of all ages.

The schedule, workshop descriptions, a venue map, a guide for teachers, and more will be posted on our website as the festival draws near: https://www.gamountainstoryfest.org/

Tickets

Advance registration for in-person tickets has now closed so that we can prepare for the festival. You can still get an in-person ticket at the event on April 4 and 5. General admission will be $20 per day or $35 for two days. We will have discounts for senior citizens and military personnel and free tickets for students and teachers, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with low income.

Tickets for online viewing of the festival will be available here on Eventbrite through May 9.

Lodging

Looking for a great deal on lodging? Stay where the festival is being held! Our venue for this year's festival, The Ridges Resort on Lake Chatuge, is offering discounted rooms to festival attendees ($149/night + taxes and fees). Call 706-896-2262, ext#1 and ask for the GMSF2025 rate to reserve your room. You have to make your reservation by March 4, 2025, to take advantage of the discount rate.

T-shirts

This year's t-shirt design celebrates the joy of storytelling and features the festival's unofficial motto: Joy to the People! The shirts are kelly green, and the design is below. Advance orders for t-shirts have now closed, but shirts will be available to purchase at the festival.

Covid

Please help keep the festival safe. If you’re feeling unwell or have been exposed to Covid-19, please don’t attend the festival in person. We’ll be glad to swap your ticket from in-person to virtual so that you can watch from home. Thank you.

Further information

For more information on our organization and this year's festival, visit our website: www.gamountainstoryfest.org. You can also email us at info@gamountainstoryfest.org.