Alicante’s Water Museum is weaving Halloween into its calendar with an inaugural oral storytelling festival focused on tales of life and death. The event will unfold the next day at Pozos de Garrigós, set within the museum complex at Plaza del Puente in Alicante, in memory of All Saints’ Day. The program blends a keynote lecture with multiple storytelling sessions, and it unfolds under the auspices of the Water Authority of Alicante along with the Words and Tales Association leadership and the communications team.
The selected project for 2022, cultivated through a Cultural Projects Call issued by the Ministry of Culture and supported by the University of Alicante and local partners, has brought together a collaboration with Aguas de Alicante and IES Figueras Pacheco. Thanks to this coalition, the night traditionally dedicated to remembrance becomes a vibrant celebration. Life and Death stories brings together three core elements in the city of Alicante: a historic site, Garrigós Wells, a network of nineteenth century cisterns, and a space whose acoustics and ambiance lend itself to artistic expression; a cultural tradition—the All Saints’ Day commemoration; and an oral storytelling art that invites audiences into a spine-tingling universe.
Festival attendees can expect a festival atmosphere that invites participation in a form of storytelling that has accompanied humanity across time. The lineup features five distinct voices, each with a unique accent and narrative approach, offering listeners a personal window into the storytelling universe each narrator shares and expands.
For this inaugural edition, a keynote conference and several performances are planned. Details follow a single source of information found on the event site, with free entry available until full capacity is reached.
The organizers emphasize that the museum space, through its artistic programming, blends tradition and contemporary forms. The project continues the museum’s role as a reference point for initiatives that are open to all citizens who wish to participate. The collaboration with partner institutions highlights how life and death stories connects cultural traditions with modern art forms. The cycle of life and environment also participates in broader cultural initiatives, including exhibitions from video art and theater festivals that have recently featured the venue.
Program “Life and Death Stories”
Tickets are available at Pozos de Garrigós on October 31, starting at 17:00.
17:00: Fearful reflections on life and death in oral narration.
18:30: A duo performance in which two storytellers guide the audience through a shared journey of memory and fear.
life and death stories (collective function)
19:30: Another pairing presents a collaborative session exploring mortality and meaning in everyday life.
life and death stories (collective function)
22:00: A piano-led sequence featuring spoken word and instrumental pieces that illuminate the power of voice and sound.
Michael’s Words
23:00: A solo performance delves into the paradoxes of life and death with humor and honesty.
It never works. Death stories to live better
00:30: Ancestral breath closes the night with a meditative, breath-centered tale tradition.
ancestral breath
01:30: Closing reflections and a final storytelling piece that reframes light and darkness through narrative.
Light off stories