Varta Storytelling Festival
Focus: Weave x Lived Experiences
Austin, DEC 5, 2026, 1:30-4:30pm
RSVP (Entry is FREE) https://www.peerbagh.com/varta-storytelling-festival/
Varta, derived from Vartalaap means conversation in Hindustani.
The festival seeks to create spaces where families can immerse themselves in South-Asia inspired storytelling traditions including folk art, dance, music, and literature. Storytelling serves as a living archive of a culture’s richness. Stories celebrate a community’s values, history, and identity. In 2026, the focus is on “weave” and the festival is reimagined to have in-person, virtual, digital experiences with a festival finale at the end of the year. Weave will celebrate the unique mingling of heritage identities with lived experiences celebrating joyful stories.
In its inaugural year, Varta engaged 3,000 residents, 100+ artists and over 2,000 students from Uttarakhand and other parts of North India sharing folk, literature, and art. In 2024 and 2025, Varta came to Austin (twice) and Ann Arbor engaging 200+ attendees and 30+ artists. Varta is the first South-Asian storytelling festival for children in North America. The event has included a Storytelling-themed visual exhibit, a puppet show, dancing, Dastangoi storytelling performances, children’s book launches, author panels, creative workshops, and activities. The festival launched an accompanying podcast, Zubaani.
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