Our Story

Latitudes Storytelling Festival began as a nameless kernel of an idea several years ago, inspired by other festivals and people in other places. The idea morphed, changed, and bounced off sounding boards, but it never seemed to find the right home.

Until Trinity United Church in Kitchener needed something unique with which to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2006. The festival was birthed, after a very long gestational period, as a way of celebrating the stories of this historic building in downtown Kitchener, and the community it has served for a century and more.

Latitudes is a festival of stories from around the world, whose goal is to build up strong ties of community among people of different cultures and faiths. We aim to facilitate a safe and respectful atmosphere in which stories from many cultures can be told.

In 2007, the Latitudes Storytelling Festival was held in Victoria Park, in conjunction with the K-W Multicultural Festival, which celebrated its 40th anniversary.

On June, 2008, we held our third festival in Victoria Park, together with the Multicultural Festival. We also held two fundraisers throughout the year, and were again part of Word on The Street in September.

Our fourth next festival was on June 20 and 21, 2009, on Roos Island in Victoria Park, once again with the Multicultural Festival. We had a concert with House of Doc and Sarah Granskou, and took part once again in Word on the Street in September.

We're looking forward to our fifth festival in 2010.

Our core committee is made up of faces from all walks of life, from writers to engineers, from students to empty nesters, young and old and everything in between; we come together with the shared vision of a community that celebrates its cultural heritage through stories.

If you are interested in attending the festival, or would like further information, please contact Lori-Ann Livingston by e-mail at latitudes@canada.com.