Swiss Storytelling Night puts “Voices” at the centre

Hundreds of children, teenagers and adults will gather across Switzerland on Friday, November 13, to read, listen to and tell stories. The annual Storytelling Night has chosen “Voices” as its theme, placing the people and characters who speak, and those who are heard, at the centre of the evening.

The Swiss Institute for Youth and Media (ISJM), which organises the national initiative, says every story contains one or more voices. That idea can shape how audiences approach a familiar tale, whether they are listening to a story read aloud or finding a voice of their own.

Held on the second Friday evening in November, Storytelling Night brings events to communities across the country. Its focus on shared reading and storytelling connects the evening’s cultural programme with the ISJM’s long-running work to promote reading. The theme invites participants to listen closely to how stories speak, and to consider whose perspective they carry.

The theme turns familiar characters into fresh possibilities for listeners and storytellers. The ISJM asks what voice the Little Mermaid might have, how Geppetto’s piece of wood would sound when it suddenly speaks, and what a magical animal might say if given the chance.

The same invitation extends to settings that normally stay silent. The forest in Snow White could tell its own story, as could the greedy house in Hansel and Gretel. These prompts encourage audiences to imagine a tale from a different point of view, while keeping the act of listening at the heart of the event.

Stories can carry voices that are deep or light, funny or serious, intimate or collective, the institute says. That range makes room for different ways of telling and hearing a story. A familiar plot can change when a different character speaks, giving children and adults a reason to revisit the tales they know and to listen for voices they may have missed.

For the ISJM, a voice can carry more than a story: it can represent a right, a vote or a choice. The institute says stories can tackle complex subjects, raise questions, make people laugh or unsettle them. They can also give a voice to people who are not heard.

That connection gives this year’s theme a civic dimension. Speaking and listening are part of how people share experiences and perspectives, while the idea of a voice can also describe having a say in decisions. The ISJM explicitly links voice with political participation, framing it as a right as well as an act of expression.

Storytelling Night brings that broad idea into an accessible setting: people come together to read, listen and tell. The evening’s many voices may belong to fictional characters, individual storytellers or groups sharing a story. Across those forms, the theme asks audiences to pay attention not only to the words, but also to who gets to speak and whose experience a story makes audible.

Nearly 770 events take place each year, making Storytelling Night one of Switzerland’s largest cultural events. The ISJM has organised the national initiative to promote reading for more than 30 years, scheduling it each year for the evening of November’s second Friday.

The programme spans the country and welcomes children, teenagers and adults. Organisers say the event is free, though some activities require registration. That combination gives the evening a wide public reach while allowing individual activities to manage attendance through sign-ups.

This year, the theme “Voices” links the basic pleasures of reading and listening with a wider invitation to consider perspective and participation. For audiences on Friday, a story can be a chance to hear a familiar character differently, encounter a serious subject or share a voice with others. The national event’s focus remains clear: bring people together around stories, and make time to listen.