Celtic Colours International Festival presents 51 concerts from Oct. 10-18
Tickets on sale Tuesday, July 8, for nine-day festival
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 8. The festival features 51 concerts and more than 250 community cultural experiences over nine days and nights.
The festival kicks off on Friday, Oct. 10 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre with The Grand Opening concert featuring The Barra MacNeils, David Francey, the MacArthur Dancers, and widely-acclaimed Anglo-Irish band Flook.
Nine days later, the festival wraps up in Sydney at Centre 200 with The Grand Finale. Jimmy Rankin and his band will be performing at Celtic Colours for the first time along with a very special collaboration of Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich, Tim Edey, Rose Morrison, and Dave Gunning for an exciting evening of beloved songs and energetic tunes.
Throughout the nine-day "week", Celtic Colours 2025 will be celebrating milestones and sharing memories with artists from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S., as well as Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Québec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.
In keeping with this year's theme of Milestones and Memories, special concerts are scheduled to celebrate Beòlach's 25th anniversary, and 30 years for Scottish organization Ceòlas and Irish-American band Solas. There will also be concerts recognizing author Alistair MacLeod and the North Shore Gaelic Singers and a tribute to beloved Richmond County singer-songwriter Cyril MacPhee.
Some of the pillars of Cape Breton's Celtic culture will be showcased in "The Cape Breton Fiddlers", "Pipers' Céilidh", "Guitar Summit", and the dance concerts "Close to the Floor" and "Dancing Up A Suête". Gaelic and Acadian songs and dance traditions, as well as Mi'kmaw heritage will also be featured throughout the nine days of the Festival.