With this year's theme Celebration we celebrate 5 years of Storytelling Festival Nijmegen and wonder what else do we have to celebrate? An anniversary, a wedding, freedom, diversity, our health, ourselves or just life? Join us as we journey through three days of celebrations! We will be guided on this journey by storyteller and comedian Soula Notos as our festival host extraordinaire.

Purple Friday – Celebrating Diversity and the freedom to love and be love as you desire.

Today is Purple Friday (Paarse Vrijdag), a national day of solidarity with our rainbow community, celebrating diversity and freedom to love and be loved as you desire. Love is Love!

20:00-21:00 | Can Bora - Henna Night Reimagined: Unveiling the Spectrum of Self

“A queer celebration of  human existence, touch, and inclusivity”

What if tradition could narrate a new story? Henna Night Reimagined transforms the traditional Turkish Henna Night into an inclusive performance that fosters a sense of belonging for all. Once a ritual focused solely on the bride-to-be, it now becomes a celebration for everyone—of love, care, and community that transcends all boundaries.

Through visual composition, modern storytelling, and audience participation, this performance challenges old norms and embraces diversity. It's a bold, creative reimagining of an ancient ritual, opening space for queer identities and exploring how we connect with each other and the world.At its heart, Henna Night Reimagined weaves together one of humanity’s most pressing truths, reciprocal care, and it seeks to reconnect by ending division and moving beyond dualities.

Can Bora is a queer, interdisciplinary artist-researcher with a multidisciplinary academic background. Originally from Istanbul and based in Amsterdam, he holds degrees in Theatre Studies (Paris 3 - Sorbonne Nouvelle), Contemporary Dance (A.R.E.A.), and Performance Practices (ArtEZ).  His work is deeply rooted in exploring the somatic body as a tool for liberation, self-discovery, and self-emancipation, with a central focus on connectivity  —both within the self and to others and the broader ecological systems. He challenges traditional narrative structures and foster a deeper, more intimate connection between the audience and the body. His interdisciplinary approach combines philosophical frameworks, spirituality, and social activism, exploring themes of identity, societal influence, and the importance of fostering interconnectedness.  

21:30-22:30 | Queer Shorts

Let’s come together for a night of queer stories, hosted by Soula Notos! After all, what’s a better way to celebrate and strengthen the community, and to fight bigotry than sharing stories and laughs.

Sytze Bouma is an actor and theater maker,  he creates linguistic work in which drag and text theater reinforce each other. At the beginning of this year, he created his first solo Drag Me Home, about the attic performer who lived in his house. This Purple Friday, he translates this mysterious story to the stage.

Bronwyn Isaac is a stand-up comedian, writer, and podcaster who has been performing over a decade. She got her start as an editorial intern in Reductress in 2014, and has been addicted to writing and performing comedy ever since. She's been spotted on Showtime, Sundance TV, and MTV. You can read her published comedy and pop culture reporting in Vice, Paper Mag, Bustle, Reductress and CRACKED. Or you can find her haunting your local cemetery.

Joseph Kearney is a storyteller originally from Ireland he has made The Netherlands his home and when not walking his dog or eating delicious meals with his boyfriend he is co-running queer story nights at Mezrab and theatre Bellevue. His theatre company Backlash media, co-founded with Brandon Oelofse, has been making queer shows for three years most notably People are Awful, Play with Your Dick and a short film called Weglopers. Ather being our fabulous host during our first Coming Out Night, we’re excited to have him back for more!