Telling Tales Festival – FAQ

Visit our Festivals and Events page to find all the information you need on planning your visit, presenters, schedules, and more.

It’s free! However, Telling Tales is a non-profit organization supporting literacy in our community, so donations will be gratefully accepted here or at the gate.

Our 2022 Festival will be live and in person!  It will be a two-day Festival at the Royal Botanical Gardens on September 24 & 25. Our beloved Nature Tales will become a very special part of our two-day Telling Tales Festival with a dedicated Nature Tales zone.  Celebrating Graphic Novels (June) and Imagination Station programming (October–March) will remain virtual.

Yes, the Festival is free but we do require registration as there are capacity restrictions in place. The exciting news is that the Festival is now two days instead of one and our headliner, Lawrence Hill, will be appearing on stage both days!

Telling Tales runs rain or shine. There are tents and buildings that offer some shelter.

Feel free to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Bring sunscreen and a hat, and bug spray doesn’t hurt either. We highly recommend that you bring your own reusable water bottle to fill up on fresh, free water at our Quench Cart. Bring an umbrella to chase the clouds away. Bring a few slightly used children’s books to donate to the Giant Book Swap & Shop and pick up a book bag from the Access Storage tent for your new treasures.

Safety is a top priority. Telling Tales will continue to comply with public health recommendations and the policies of RBG. See here for updates.

The Festival is a family friendly event that will have programming for children from birth to teens!  Visit the full schedule to see the recommended ages for each presentation.

Our beloved Nature Tales will become a very special part of our two-day Telling Tales Festival with a dedicated Nature Tales zone.

The Telling Tales 2022 Festival Guide will be available online and can be viewed and downloaded from our site. In an effort to reduce our environmental impact, this has been reduced  to a one page handout but still has all the information you need, including maps and schedules.  Printed Festival Guides will be available at the Information Tent at the entrance to Hendrie Park. 

Check out our Reading List to find your new favourites from this year and past seasons. You can sort by author, title, age, and theme.

Families are encouraged to pick up a scavenger hunt card from the Telling Tales information booth.  Once completed please return your card to the large dragonfly box—located at the TT info booth on your way out.  For each completed card, you will receive a complimentary book from Scholastic Canada and be entered into a draw for a Telling Tales Book/Swag bag (value $100).

Six winners will be chosen and contacted by email shortly after the Festival.

Yes! Visit the TD booth behind the Rose Garden to receive a copy of a previous year’s TD Grade One Giveaway while quantities last. 

Sorry, pets are not allowed in Hendrie Park on the day of the Festival, but service dogs are always welcome.

We encourage you to bring a few gently used children’s books to swap at the Festival. You can also purchase books at great prices. Remember to pick up a book bag from the Access Storage tent! The Giant Book Swap & Shop is run by Hamilton Literacy Council and is located in a tent near the Cherry Hill Gate. 

Yes. A Different Drummer Books will sell the new books from our presenters. They are waiting for you at the Rose Garden Tent.

Yes, refer to the autographing schedule online and plan for this!  The tent is located behind the Rose Garden. Authors love meeting their fans and vice versa.

Select Telling Tales merchandise will be available in exchange for a donation to this year’s Festival. You can find plush dragonfly mascots, Telling Tales satin capes, and other neat swag at the Telling Tales Information Booth located after you pass through the tunnel and enter the gardens. . All proceeds fund the Festival and literacy programming  for our community.

Yes, the washrooms have change tables. We will also have a special baby changing/nursing tent available for families to use in the White Garden

Sign up for our dragonfly news to receive all the news and monthly prompts from our Creativity Club. Be sure to bookmark our growing digital library of on-demand presentations or subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Hendrie Park is completely accessible. Only the RBG nature tour has limited access as part of it is on a ramp with a steep incline and in the woods.

RBG will have a booth in the main building near the elevators en route to Hendrie Park with lots of wonderful nature related gifts.

No, but in an effort to offer cashless solutions “Tip Tap” payment stands will be available at the Information/Merchandise Tent, the Book Swap Tent and at other locations throughout the site.

There is free parking at the main entrance to RBG and at the Cherry Hill Gate parking lot.

If these lots are full, overflow parking may be available at the Bayfront Funeral Home and on the side streets behind the RBG main office.

We have a caterer offering a variety of healthy foods near the Rose Garden Tent and also at the Tea House. RBG does not allow picnicking on the grounds.

There are vegetarian and dairy-free options and gluten-friendly choices.

Report this to any Telling Tales volunteer or RBG employee you see, or go to the Telling Tales  Information Tent at the entrance to the park.

Washrooms can be found in the main building and near the Tea Room in Hendrie Park.

Yes! Scan the code you see posted around the Festival—this will take you to the 5-minute survey. Tell us how we did! We want to make the Festival the best possible experience for everyone. As thanks for helping us out, you could win a family pass to a famous Ontario Tourist location.