You can come for an hour, or stay for the whole weekend! We have ticket options for you. Tickets range from $13 for any one concert to $65 for an all-weekend pass. There are discounts for kids, seniors, and families, and for ordering in advance. Check ticket prices here.
You will be able to purchase advance tickets online with a credit card via our secure vendor, Acteva.com after February 1, 2008. There is an additional fee for this service. After May 14, please purchase tickets at the door: CASH or CHECK only.

Who's Performing When - Click for Schedule

The Festival is not designed to be a children's event. At most sessions, our invited storytellers may or may not tell stories appropriate for younger children. We suggest that the weekend performances are appropriate for ages 9 and up. There is one performance set aside on Sunday afternoon for children ages 4-8 and their families.
Bring a picnic for the family or patronize our food vendor; the park has lots of space to run around and a nice playground. And of course, you are your own best judge of what your kids can handle.

Yes... The Friday before the public festival, May 16, there are concerts for Students featuring three of our invited storytellers. This Storytelling Study Trip is for grades 3-6, takes place at the park from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and as of November 15, 2007, is SolD OUT. Contact Robin Wilson at (510) 757-5030 or robinyeewilson[at]aol.com to inquire about a waiting list.

If you are teaching a high school, college, extension, or adult class, we recommend coming to the regular Weekend Festival. The deadline for group discounts is April 21, 2008.

In the past, we've shivered in damp fog, wilted under blazing sun, sometimes within the same day. If you'll be staying all day, be prepared for the weather to change. Bring layers. We've also had Festivals under gentle raindrops. We can't predict what the weather will be like, but the Festival happens rain or shine. In the event of rain, performances are held within tents on the park grounds. (No refunds for bad weather).

• $5 for parking each day, unless you've prepaid for that and received your parking voucher in the mail.
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat.
• A blanket or towel to sit upon in the grassy amphitheatre. You may bring low lawn chairs, but please be considerate of those sitting around you. If you're blocking someone's view, we'll ask you to move.
• A sweater, sweatshirt, or windbreaker, for the evening concert.
• Friends!
• (Optional) A picnic lunch. (See Is there food? below.)
• (Optional) A five minute story to share at the open mike.
• Extra spending money, for a souvenir t-shirt, CD, collection of stories, and raffle tickets for a chance to win a handmade storytelling quilt!

Any type of photographic, digital, or analog recording equipment. Please respect our artist's work and image. Also, please don't bring your dog. (Technically, dogs are allowed on leashes within the park, but out of respect for our performers and our audience, pets are not allowed at the performances).

Yes, you can! Story Swapping, our version of an "open mike," is scheduled each day. You can sign up to be on the bill. Performing order is usually determined by drawing names out of a hat. To give everyone a chance, there is a 5 minute time limit per teller.

But I'm a seasoned stage performer, and I'll be in town that weekend. How can I get up on the main stage at your Festival?

Performances on the main stages are by invitation only. Invited tellers are scheduled from 1 to 3 years in advance.

Each swatch of cloth is a ticket. Bring it with you to the Festival, and wear it prominently. Because our performances take place in a public park open to all, wearing your swatch lets us know you've paid. It's a tradition practiced at many storytelling festivals, and there's probably a story that explains it.

For directions, click here.

There is one food vendor on-site, but the lines can get long during lunch. You may want to bring food with you, and picnic. There are restaurants and groceries in nearby El Sobrante to pick up food on the way or afterwards, but there's no in and out privileges in the parking lot.

CEU credit is available via CSU Hayward, if you attend the entire Festival. There is an additional $65 fee, which includes the University's administrative charge. Call our instructor, Sara Armstrong at 510 848-6340 for more information.

We've set aside rooms at the the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in San Pablo, 2525 San Pablo Dam Road, San Pablo, CA 94806. Special discount for festival attendees, call 510-965-1900 and mention code BASF.
NOTE: The Festival weekend happens to be one of the graduation weekends for nearby UC Berkeley, so accomodations in Oakland, Berkeley, and Orinda may be difficult (if not impossible) to find.
The closest campgrounds are:

• Anthony Chabot Regional Park, San Leandro (18 miles away),
• China Camp State Park, San Rafael (20 miles away), and
• Mt. Diablo State Park, Danville (25 miles away).