This December, the curtain rises on something Ghana has never had before. StoryFest Ghana.

Ghana's National Literacy & Creative Arts Festival makes its debut at Accra City Hotel from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 December 2026, turning the heart of the capital into the place where Ghana's stories come alive: three days, a thousand stories, and a celebration of the people who write, perform, make and tell them.

Presented by AMPLE House, StoryFest is endorsed by the Ghana Tourism Authority and approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts as an official part of the December in GH 2026 programme.

Organisers expect more than 3,000 visits across the weekend, including 1,000 visitors from the diaspora and abroad and 1,500 students from more than 20 schools.

Ghana's first Christmas pantomime

Every evening belongs to BELIEVE the Musical, an original Christmas musical pantomime from AMPLE Productions, written by Entrepreneur & Media Mogul Jason Nana Yaw Mohan & Directed by Vivian Boateng (Vivies Dance and Theatre Academy (VDTA).

Set on a street junction in Accra, it is a Christmas fable about hope, family and the courage to believe — told through live acting, music, dance and imaginative staging, with the audience written into the ending. BELIEVE runs on all three nights and is billed by its makers as Ghana's first Christmas pantomime: the start of a new festive tradition for families spending December at home.

A festival for the whole family, all day

By day, StoryFest opens six zones:

•Ghana Story & Book Village — meet authors, discover new books, and join readings, signings and literary conversations.

•Made-in-Ghana Creative Market — 65 artists, designers and craftspeople selling work with a story behind it. Christmas shopping, sorted.

•Taste of Ghana Food Court — regional dishes and contemporary flavours, and the people behind them.

•Youth Story Zone — writing, illustration, poetry and storytelling for children and teens.

•Creative Futures & Digital Storytelling Lab — how an idea becomes a film, an animation, a podcast or a published book.

•Heritage & Tourism Discovery Hub — experiences to explore in Accra and across all 16 regions.

Pitch Your Story: a publishing deal, on national television

Delivered with the Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP), Pitch Your Story gives one aspiring storyteller the chance to win a publishing contract with AMPLE Publications USA plus professional mentorship, worth US$5,000. Entrants submit a short video explaining their “why”.

Shortlisted applicants pitch live at StoryFest in December, and the public votes for the winner when the programme airs on national television. Entry details are at amplehouse.net/storyfest

Why it matters

Gold and cocoa tell only part of Ghana's story.

The country's wealth also lives in its imagination: in tales passed between generations, in the skill of its makers and in the originality of its young creative voices. The documentary The Eyes of Ghana, which follows cinematographer Chris Hesse's effort to recover and preserve historic footage of Ghana's independence, is a reminder of what is lost when a nation's stories are not kept.

StoryFest carries that conversation forward — from the archive to the living, creative Ghana of today. “ Every child in Ghana should be able to open a book and find their own world inside it.

StoryFest is where that starts , a home for our storytellers, our makers and the next generation who will tell Ghana's story to the world.” — Eddy BlayLegendary Ghana Media Icon & Producer of AMPLE PRODUCTIONS The festival's mission is to champion African storytelling, nurture a love of reading, and connect creative talent with audiences, markets and professional opportunity.

Its long-term vision is an annual meeting place where African creators develop their work, keep ownership of their narratives and reach wider markets. Discover Ghana, a new print and digital publication from AMPLE Publications, will carry the festival's exploration of Ghanaian culture, creative business and tourism beyond the weekend.

Plan your December

Whether you are coming from Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale or Ho, home for Christmas from London, Houston or Toronto, or bringing a school group, StoryFest is built for a full day out. Come for the books, browse the market, stay for the food and end the night at the theatre. Bring the family, gather the book club, or make it your December reunion.

Save the date: 11–13 December 2026, Accra City Hotel.
BELIEVE tickets are on sale now, and early-bird festival registration and vendor registration are open. Click to open


School group bookings, Pitch Your Story entries, sponsorship and media accreditation: amplehouse.net · info@amplehouse.net · +233 256 687 881. Follow and share: #StoryFestGhana #DecemberInGH #BelieveG