JOIN US FOR a new annual gathering for COMMUNITY, CREATIVITY, AND THE COMMON GOOD, LAUNCHING IN AUSTIN,TEXAS with a one-day preview event,     the new story Experience on november 3, 2018, and the full three-day          new story festival on March 29-31, 2019.

The New Story Festival is a bold experiment for a better world, embodying imagination, spirituality, social action, and playful connection - defined above all by the practice of love.

THE WORLD RUNS ON STORIES – THE NARRATIVES THAT FUEL THE WAYS WE LIVE IN THIS WORLD AND RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER. OUR STORIES CAN LIBERATE OR OPPRESS, ENCOURAGE RECONCILIATION OR FURTHER SEPARATION, INSPIRE NEW LIFE OR EVEN BRING DEATH. BUT WHEN WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF OUR STORIES, WE CAN BEGIN TO CHANGE THEM.

Believing that “the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better,” the New Story Festival seeks to lead us into a better story – one that encourages growth and liberation, healing and harmony; a story where the downtrodden are uplifted and everyone is included. We will gather artists, activists, teachers, practitioners for spiritual/emotional health & wholeness, along with numerous other social innovators to share their creativity, practices, and stories at a three-day (Friday afternoon to Sunday evening), outdoor festival on the campus of Huston-Tillotson University, right in the heart of historic east Austin and just blocks from downtown. There will be music, art and stories, speakers and workshops, conversations both formal and spontaneous, helping us step into a better story – one with the potential to transform both Austin and the world.

The festival is nurtured into being by artists, activists, and leaders with experience in international peace-building, local activism and community organizing, health, wholeness, spirituality and personal growth - friends and guides who want to share their wisdom and enthusiasm with you. Many of us are energized by the progressive Christian tradition, which means that the festival is spiritually inclusive, inviting all who share these values to join in shaping a better world. Those from historically marginalized groups – women, persons of color, indigenous peoples, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those of differing abilities – are an especially integral part of both the leadership and programming. 

There will be words and ideas, sound and vision, laughter and dancing, intimate conversations and moments of silence – a temporary embodiment of a story whose energy will last the whole year round. Join us!

Our program will include nationally-known headline speakers as well as influential local leaders. Likewise, each evening will feature high-profile music acts while the day times will be filled with inspiring sounds from local up-and-comers. We will post details to our Lineup page as they become available, so be sure to check back! 

We also need your support in spreading the word about the festival. Click here to find out about other ways to help bring the New Story Festival to life.