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Fests Page

Below is a list of about 100 Irish and Celtic Fests and 150 Scottish Highland Games and Fests with corresponding links, dates, and location. As specific locations and dates may change, please view the specific website for up to date information, as well as information related to the schedule and any related fees. If there are any needed changes or corrections, or if you wish to have an event added, please email me.

Note: Events that occurred in the past and do not have the next event dates listed on the website, are moved to the bottom of each table. Once a month these listings will be updated with any new information and will be moved up to the upcoming section if a new date is listed. This way the most recent upcoming events will be listed first. Links that lead to dead sites will be removed during the monthly check.

Click here for the introduction to this page.

Cornish & Welsh Festivals

Name Location Date
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Llangollen, Wales July 6-11, 2010
Welsh Heritage Week Cardiff, Wales July 18-25, 2010 Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Portland, OR Sept. 2-5, 2010
Cornish Festival & Celtic Celebration Mineral Point, WI Sept. 24-26, 2010

Irish & Celtic Festivals & Events

Name Location Date

Upcoming

Colorado Irish Festival Littleton, CO July 9-11, 2010
IAHC Irish Festival Chicago, IL July 9-11, 2010
Catskills Irish Arts Week East Durham, NY July 11-17, 2010
Saline Celtic Festival Saline, MI July 15-17, 2010
Canada's Irish Festival Miramichi, New Brunswick July 15-18, 2010
Arlington Heights Historical Museum Irish Fest Arlington Heights, IL July 16-17, 2010
Blackstone Valley Celtic Festival Stutton, MA July 17, 2010
Elizabeth Celtic Festival Elizabeth, CO July 17-18, 2010
Rockland County A.O.H. Feis & Fields Games Stony Point, NY July 18, 2010
CeltFest Vancouver Island, British Columbia July 18-23, 2010
Cleveland Irish Fest Cleveland, OH July 23-25, 2010
Clover's Annual Irish Weekend Heckscherville, PA July 23-25, 2010
Great American Irish Festival Frankfort, NY July 23-25, 2010
Dayton Celtic Fest Dayton, OH July 30-Aug. 1, 2010
Westport Music Festival Westport, Mayo, Ireland Aug. 5-8, 2010
Celtic Roots Festival Goderich, Ontario Aug. 6-8, 2010
Dublin Irish Festival Dublin, OH Aug. 6-8, 2010
Iowa Irish Festival Waterloo, IA Aug. 6-8, 2010
du Festival Interceltique de Lorient Lorient, France Aug. 6-15, 2010
Great Lakes Irish Music Festival Comstock Park, MI Aug. 7, 2010
Irishfest La Crosse La Crosse, WI Aug. 13-15, 2010
Irish Fair Minnesota St Paul, MN Aug. 13-15, 2010
Milwaukee Irish Fest Milwaukee, WI Aug. 19-22, 2010
International Celtic Festival Hunter, NY Aug. 21-22, 2010
Rose of Tralee International Festival Tralee, Ireland Aug. 20-24, 2010
Buffalo Irish Festival Hamburg, NY Aug. 27-29, 2010
Cortland Celtic Festival Cortland, NY Aug. 27-29, 2010
Fort Collins Irish Festival Fort Collins, CO Aug. 27-29, 2010
Peoria's Irish Festival on the Riverfront Peoria, IL Aug. 27-29, 2010
Berks County Celtic Oyster Festival Mohnton, PA Aug. 28, 2010
East Durham Feis East Durham, NY Aug. 28, 2010
Mid-Summer Scottish & Irish Music Festival Lancaster, PA Aug. 28-29, 2010
Kansas City Irish Fest Kansas City, MO Sept. 3-5, 2010
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaker Festival Lisdoonvarna, Ireland Sept. 3-Oct. 4, 2010
McLain Celtic Festival Carlisle, PA Sept. 4, 2010
Newport Waterfront Irish Festival Newport, RI Sept. 4-6, 2010
Brittingham's Irish Festival Lafayette Hill, PA Sept. 5, 2010
Syracuse Irish Festival Syracuse, NY Sept. 10-11, 2010
Pittsburgh Irish Fest Pittsburgh, PA Sept. 10-12, 2010
Rochester Irish Festival Irondequoit, NY Sept. 10-12, 2010
Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival Elizabethton, TN Sept. 10-12, 2010
Quebec City Celtic Festival Quebec City, Quebec Sept. 10-17, 2010
Irish 2000 Music & Arts Festival Ballston Spa, NY Sept. 17-18, 2010
Indy's Irish Fest Indianapolis, IN Sept. 17-19, 2010
Michigan Irish Music Festival Muskegon, MI Sept. 17-19, 2010
Missouri River Irish Fest St. Charles, MO Sept. 17-19, 2010
Irish Festival at the Jersey Shore Sea Girt, NJ Sept. 18, 2010
MadCeltFest Madison, WI Sept. 18, 2010
Milford Irish Festival Milford, CT Sept. 18, 2010
Kalamazoo Irish Fest Kalamazoo, MI Sept. 24-25, 2010
Celtic Classic Irish Fest Bethlehem, PA Sept. 24-26, 2010
Sebastopol Celtic Music Festival Sebastopol, CA Sept. 24-26, 2010
Louisville Irish Fest Louisville, KY Sept. 25-26, 2010
Chesapeake Celtic Festival Furnace Town, MD Oct. 2-3, 2010
KVMR Celtic Festival & Marketplace Grass Valley, CA Oct. 2-3, 2010
Reno Celtic Celebration Reno, NV Oct. 2-3, 2010
Celtic Colours International Festival Sydney, Nova Scotia Oct. 8-16, 2010
Northeast Louisana Celtic Festival West Monroe, LA Oct. 16, 2010
Return to Camden Town Festival London, England Oct. 21-31, 2010
O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat Midlothian, TX Oct. 29-31, 2010
Austin Celtic Festival Austin, TX Nov. 6-7, 2010
iBAM Celebration Chicago, IL Nov. 6-7, 2010
Maryland Irish Festival Timonium, MD Nov. 12-14, 2010
Celtic Nations Heritage Festival Lake Charles, LA Nov. 19-21, 2010
Temple Bar Trad Irish Music & Cultural Festival Dublin, Ireland Jan. 26-30, 2011
Mid-Winter Scottish & Irish Music Festival & Fair King of Prussia, PA Feb. 18-20, 2011
Traditional Irish Music Festival - The Gathering Killarney, Ireland Mar. 2-6, 2011
Ennis Book Club Festival Ennis, Ireland Mar. 4-6, 2011
Toledo St. Patrick's Day Festival Toledo, OH Mar. 11-12, 2011
Scottish-Irish Faire Midland, TX Mar. 11-13, 2011
Sonora Celtic Faire Sonora, CA Mar. 11-13, 2011
Grand Parade & Irish Fest New London, WI Mar. 14-19, 2011
St. Patrick's Festival Dublin, Ireland Mar. 17-20, 2011
Mississippi River Celtic Music Festival St. Louis, IL Apr. 15-17, 2011
Riverfront Irish Festival Cuyahoga Falls, OH June 10-12, 2011
Fairfield County Irish Festival Fairfield, CT June 17-29, 2011
International Celtic Congress Douglas, Isle of Man July 25-30, 2011

Past

Greater Danbury Irish Festival Danbury, CT Sept. 5-7, 2008
Copenhagen Irish Festival Copenhagen, Denmark Nov. 6-9, 2008
International Conference on the Ulster Cycle Coleraine, Ireland June 22-25, 2009
Irish Connections Festival Canton, MA Sept. 2009
Irish Days Long Grove, IL Sept. 5-7, 2009
Irish Language Literature Festival Dublin, Ireland Sept. 10-29, 2009
CelticFest Mississippi Jackson, MS Sept. 10-13, 2009
Erie Irish Festival Erie, PA Sept. 18-19, 2009
Irish Language and Culture Weekend Madison, WI Oct. 2-4, 2009
Celtic Heritage Festival Bedford, TX Oct. 3-4, 2009
Féis Mhàbu Mabou, Nova Scotia Oct. 9-11, 2009
Winnipeg Irish Festival Winnipeg, Manitoba Oct. 10, 2009
Arizona Irish Festival Phoenix, AZ Oct. 31, 2009
Ennis Trad Festival Ennis, Ireland Nov. 5-9, 2009
Dunedin Celtic Festival Dunedin, FL Nov. 21, 2009
Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival Fort Myers, FL Jan. 23, 2010
Savannah Irish Festival Savannah, GA Feb. 12-14, 2010
Crossroads Irish-American Festival San Francisco, CA Mar. 2-14, 2010
Manhattan Irish Fest Manhattan, IL Mar. 5-6, 2010
North Texas Irish Festival Dallas, TX Mar. 5-7, 2010
Los Angeles County Irish Fair & Music Festival Pomona, CA Mar. 6-7, 2010
Zephyrhills Celtic Festival & Highland Games Zephyrhills, FL Mar. 6-7, 2010
Irish Week Festival Seattle, WA Mar. 6-17, 2010
Burlington Irish Heritage Festival Burlington, VT Mar. 10-17, 2010
Kells Irish Festival Seattle, WA Mar. 12-20, 2010
Libby Montana Irish Fair Libby, MO Mar. 13, 2010
Shamrock the Block Richmond, VA Mar. 13, 2010
ShamrockFest Washingtion, DC Mar. 13, 2010
Florida Irish Festival West Palm Beach, FL Mar. 13-14, 2010
Avenues to Independence Irish Fest Rolling Meadows, IL Mar. 14, 2010
Peace River Celtic Festival Punta Gorda, FL Mar. 14, 2010
Irish Spring Festival Ireland, WV Mar. 14/17-21, 2010
Southern Illinois Irish Festival Carbondale, IL Apr. 23-25, 2010
Celtic Festival of Southern Maryland Prince Frederick, MD Apr. 24, 2010
Celtic Fest Chicago Chicago, IL May 8-9, 2010
Acting Irish International Theater Festival Chicago, IL May 17-23, 2010
Medieval Dublin Symposium Dublin, Ireland May 22, 2010
Cape Breton International Drum Festival Cape Breton, Nova Scotia May 22-23, 2010
Chicago Gaelic Park Irish Fest Chicago, IL May 28-31, 2010
East Durham Irish Festival East Durham, NY May 29-30, 2010
Taste of Dublin Dublin, Ireland June 10-13, 2010
Oshkosh Irish Fest Oshkosh, WI June 11-13, 2010
National Celtic Festival Portarlington, Victoria June 11-14, 2010
New Jersey Irish Festival Lakewood, NJ June 12, 2010
Potomac Celtic Festival Leesburg, VA June 12-13, 2010
Irish Fair & Music Festival Irvine, CA June 19-20, 2010
Oklahoma Celtic Music and Heritage Festival Stillwater, OK June 19-20, 2010
Midwest Fleadh Cheoil Forest Park, IL June 25-27, 2010
Water Valley Traditional Celtic Folk Festival Water Valley, Alberta June 26, 2010
Connecticut Irish Festival New Haven, CT June 26-27, 2010

Scottish Festivals, Highland Games, & Tattoos

Albuquerque, NM
Name Location Date

Upcoming

Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, The Halifax, Nova Scotia July 1-8, 2010
Antigonish Highland Games Antigonish, Nova Scotia July 4-11, 2010
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Linville, NC July 8-11, 2010
Athena Caledonian Games Athena, OR July 10-11, 2010
Skagit Valley Highland Games & Celtic Festival Mount Vernon, WA July 10-11, 2010
Hebridean Celtic Festival Stornoway, Scotland July 14-17, 2010
Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival Florence, MA July 17, 2010
Portland Highland Games Gresham, OR July 17, 2010
Arizona Highland Celtic Festival Flagstaff, AZ July 17-18, 2010
Edinboro Highland Games Edinboro, PA July 22-24, 2010
New Brunswick Highland Games & Scottish Festival Fredericton, New Brunswick July 23-25, 2010
Tulloch Inverness Highland Games Inverness, Scotland July 24, 2010
Virginia Highlands Festival Abingdon, VA July 24-Aug. 8, 2010
Glengarry Highland Games Maxville, Ontario July 30-31, 2010
Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games & Clan Gatherings Enumclaw, WA July 31-Aug 1, 2010
Montreal Highland Games Pierrefonds, Quebec Aug. 1, 2010
Detroit Highland Games Livonia, MI Aug. 6-7, 2010
Edinburgh Military Tattoo Edinburgh, Scotland Aug. 6-28, 2010
Dundonald Games Ayrshire, Scotland Aug. 7, 2010
Pipefest Canada Ottawa, Canada Aug. 7, 2010
Spokane Highland Games Brunswick, ME Aug. 7, 2010
Monterey Highland Games & Celtic Festival Salinas, CA Aug. 7-8, 2010
Bridge of Allan Highland Games Stirling, Scotland Aug. 8, 2010
Piping Live! Glasgow, Scotland Aug. 9-15, 2010
Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games Fergus, Ontario Aug. 13-15, 2010
Celtic Festival & Scottish Highland Games Madras, OR Aug. 14, 2010
Whidbey Island Highland Games Greenbank, WA Aug. 14, 2010
Colorado Scottish Festival & Rocky Mountain Highland Games Highlands Ranch, CO Aug. 14-15, 2010
Amherst Museum's Scottish Festival & Highland Games Amherst, NY Aug. 21, 2010
Maine Highland Games Brunswick, ME Aug. 21, 2010
North Lanark Highland Games Almonte, Ontario Aug. 21, 2010
Crieff Highland Games Perthshire, Scotland Aug. 22, 2010
Cowal Highland Gathering Dunoon, Scotland Aug. 26-28, 2010
High River Highland Games High River, Alberta Aug. 28, 2010
Kalamazoo Scottish Festival Kalamazoo, MI Aug. 28, 2010
Long Island Scottish Games Old Westbury, NY Aug. 28, 2010
Wisconsin Highland Games Waukesha, WI Sept. 3-5, 2010
Blas Festival Highlands, Scotland Sept. 3-11, 2010
Braemar Gathering, The Aberdeenshire, Scotland Sept. 4, 2010
Calgary Highland Games Calgary, Alberta Sept. 4, 2010
Appalachian Celtic Festival & Highland Games Chickamauga, GA Sept. 4-5 2010
Caledonian Club of San Francisco Gathering & Games Pleasanton, CA Sept. 4-5, 2010
Capital District Scottish Games Altamont, NY Sept. 4-5, 2010
Virginia Scottish Games & Gathering of the Clans The Plains, VA Sept. 4-5, 2010
Canmore Highland Games Canmore, Alberta Sept. 5, 2010
Long's Peak Scottish and Irish Festival Estes Park, CO Sept. 9-12, 2010
Southwest Missouri Celtic Heritage Festival & Highland Games Buffalo, MO Sept. 10-11, 2010
Columbus Scottish Festival Columbus, IN Sept. 11-12, 2010
Kelso Highlander Festival Kelso, WA Sept. 11-12, 2010
New Hampshire Highland Games Lincoln, NH Sept. 17-19, 2010
Oklahoma Scottish Games & Gathering Tulsa, OK Sept. 17-19, 2010
Celtic Highland Games of the Quad Cities Davenport, IA Sept. 18, 2010
Charleston Scottish Games & Highland Gathering Mount Pleasant, SC Sept. 18, 2010
Clanjamfry: A Scottish Festival Memphis, TN Sept. 24-26, 2010
All Things Scottish CelticFest Cedar Rapids, IA Sept. 25, 2010
Treasure Valley Celtic Festival & Highland Games Boise, ID Sept. 25, 2010
McPherson Scottish Festival & Highland Games McPherson, KS Sept. 25-26, 2010
Loch Hartwell Highland Games Anderson, GA Oct. 1-2, 2010
Williamsburg Scottish Festival Lanexa, VA Oct. 1-2, 2010
Radford Highlanders Festival Radford, VA Oct. 2, 2010
Santa Cruz Scottish Games & Celtic Festival Santa Cruz, CA Oct. 2, 2010
Scottish Festival Goshen, CT Oct. 2, 2010
The Royal National Mod Caithness, Scotland Oct. 8-16, 2010
Scotland Connecticut Games Scotland, CT Oct. 10, 2010
Meadow Highland Games & Celtic Festival Doswell, VA Oct. 23-24, 2010
Tucson Celtic Festival & Scottish Highland Games Tucson, AZ Nov. 5-7, 2010
Highlands & Islands Association Scottish Games Gulfport, MS Nov. 13-14, 2010
Scotland Goes to Sea Cairbbean Jan. 5-16, 2011
Celtic Connections Glasgow, Scotland Jan. 13-30, 2011
Central Florida Highland Games Winter Springs, FL Jan. 15-16, 2011
Winnipeg Scottish Festival Winnipeg, Manitoba Feb. 19, 2011
A Scottish Ramble Saint Paul, MN Feb. 19-20, 2011
Arizona Scottish Gathering & Highland Game Mesa, AZ Feb. 26-27, 2011
Panama City Highland Games & Scottish Festival Panama City, FL Mar. 12, 2011
Hawaiian Scottish Festival* Honolulu, HI Apr 2-3, 2011
Heartland International Tattoo Music & Dance Festival DeKalb, IL Apr. 16, 2011
Triad Highland Games Greensboro, NC May 1, 2011
Kentucky Scottish Highland Games Carrollton, KY May 14, 2011
Minnesota Scottish Fair & Highland Games Farmington, MN May 14, 2011
Smoky Mountain Highland Games Maryville, TN May 20-22, 2011
Comox Valley Highland Games Courtenay, British Columbia May 21, 2011
Glasgow Highland Games Glasgow, KY June 2-5, 2011
McHenry Highland Festival of Mountain Maryland McHenry, MD June 4, 2011
Shotts Highland Games Shotts, Scotland June 4, 2011
Taste of Scotland Franklin, NC June 17-19, 2011
Canadian International Military Tattoo Hamilton, Ontario June 25-26, 2011
Halifax Highland Games & Scottish Festival Halifax, Nova Scotia July 16, 2011

Past

Appalachian Highland Games* Andrews, NC Sept. 12-13, 2008
Alexandria Scottish Heritage Fair Alexandria, VA Oct. 5, 2008
Sumter Scottish Country Fair & Celtic Festival Sumter, SC Mar. 20-22, 2009
Wyoming Celtic Festival & Highland Games Gillette, WY June 27-28, 2009
Dufftown Highland Games Banffshire, Scotland July 25, 2009
Midlothian Scottish Fair & Celtic Celebration Midlothian, IL Sept., 2009
Anne Arundel Scottish Highland Games Crownsville, MD Oct. 10, 2009
Highland Games of Louisiana Jackson, LA Nov., 2009
St Andrews Festival St. Andrews, Scotland Nov. 28-30, 2009
Scottish Festival & Highland Games Ft. Lauderdale, FL Jan. 9, 2010
Northeast Florida Scottish Games & Festival Jacksonville, FL Feb. 27, 2010
Dunedin Highland Games Dunedin, FL Mar. 27, 2010
San Antonio Highland Games San Antonio, TX Mar. 27-28, 2010
Missouri Tartan Day Saint Charles, MO Apr 9-11, 2010
New York Tartan Week New York, NY Apr 10, 2010
Las Vegas Celtic Gathering & Highland Games Las Vegas, NV Apr. 17-18, 2010
Scottish Festival & Celtic Gathering Bridgeport, WV Apr. 30-May 2, 2010
Virginia International Tatoo Norfolk, VA Apr. 30-May 2, 2010
Frederick Celtic Festival Urbana, MD May 8, 2010
Savannah Scottish Games Savannah, GA May 8, 2010
Fairhill Scottish Games Fair Hill, DE May 15, 2010
Houston Highland Games & Celtic Festival Houston, TX May 15-16, 2010
Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival & Highland Games May 15-16, 2010
Mint Hill Scottish Festival & Highland Games Charlotte, NC May 21-22, 2010
Victoria Highland Games Victoria, British Columbia May 22-23, 2010
Regina Highland Games Regina, Saskatchewan May 23, 2010
Greater Greenville Scottish Games & Highland Festival Greenville, SC May 28-29, 2010
Alma Highland Festival Alma, MI May 29-30, 2010
Texas Scottish Festival & Highland Games Arlington, TX June 4-6, 2010
Scottish Highland Games & Gathering of the Clans Modesto, CA June 5, 2010
Bellingham Scottish Highland Games Ferndale, WA June 5-6, 2010
Milwaukee Highland Games Milwaukee, WI June 7, 2010
Utah Scottish Association Highland Games & Scottish Festival Wellsville, UT Jun. 11-12, 2010
Kansas City Scottish Highland Games Riverside, MO June 11-13, 2010
Clover Scottish Games & Scotch-Irish Festival Clover, SC June 12, 2010
Georgetown Highland Games Halton Hills, Ontario June 12, 2010
Sons of Scotland District Highland Games Delta, British Columbia June 12, 2010
Blairsville Scottish Festival & Highland Games Blairsville, GA June 12-13, 2010
British Columbia Highland Games Chilliwack, British Columbia June 19, 2010
Campbell Highland Games & Celtic Gathering Campbell, CA June 19, 2010
Central Iowa Celtic Festival & Highland Games Carlisle, IA June 19, 2010
Manitoba Highland Gathering Selkirk, Manitoba June 19, 2010
Loch Lomond Highland Games & Celtic Gathering Ben Lomond, CA June 19-20, 2010
Highlands of Durham Games Uxbridge, Ontario July 24-25, 2010
Ohio Scottish Games Wellington, OH June 24-26, 2010
Royal Highland Show Edinburgh, Scotland June 24-27, 2010
Celtic Fling & Highland Games Manheim, PA June 25-27, 2010
Cobourg Highland Games Festival Cobourg, Ontario June 26, 2010
Highland Games & Gathering of the Clans Anchorage, AK June 26, 2010
Red Deer Highland Games Red Deer, Alberta June 26, 2010
Tacoma Highland Games Graham, WA June 26, 2010
San Diego Scottish Highland Games & Gathering of the Clans Vista, CA June 26-27, 2010
Game Conservancy Limited Scottish Fair Perthshire, Scotland July 3-4, 2010

Introduction

Back in my native Virginia, or at least in the Hampton Roads area, the Celtic scene is a bit minimal, if not nonexistent. There weren't any Irish Fests around, and even through I lived ten to thirty minutes away from the Williamsburg Scottish Festival, I never had the time to make it there. In fact the only real Celtic music scene was a local band called Coyote Run which played monthly at a local UU church, with scattered shows elsewhere in the Hampton Roads area. But even this went away as their popularity grew and they started to tour up and down the East Coast. So I was basically limited to listening to the Celtic music I had downloaded or the steaming radio stations (mainly Live Ireland and the now defunct Celtic Grove radio) over the Internet.

Well that all changed one night in Fall of 2005. The previous summer, I had left the little corner of Virginia where I had been all my life and moved up to the Chicago area. One Monday night, NPR was playing jazz, which I don't normally listen to, so I decided to flip through the stations. And lo and behold, I came across a station that was playing Celtic music. After listening to the first song I was amazed that the Celtic music continued. Although, I didn't remember to get the call sign I found the station again a couple of weeks later. And then I learned that the station was WDCB 90.9 FM, and the show was Blarney on the Air. I also determined that they stream over the Internet and the show is every Monday between 7:00 and 9:00 CST. So ever since then, I've listened to most every show that I can catch. Check out the podcast on the show's site to listen to past shows.

So what does this have to do with Fests? Well besides playing good music, the dialogue between the two hosts is very informative as well as amusing. I learned that there are events dedicated to Celtic music. So I started writing down the names of the fests mentioned on the show and finding websites for them. This list grew as one page would link to another, which would link to another, and so forth. This webpage grew from all the links off these pages, which are linked below for reference purposes.

References