The Australian Celtic Festival at Glen Innes is now ready for another year commencing this week, May 2nd and running right through until May 5th, and is tipped to be the biggest show in its 32 year history.
Event Co-ordinator Rhonda Bombell says preparation for the show has grown to a point where a year is almost not enough.
“It’s like building almost a small city from the ground up for a weekend, so it’s a lot. But it’s well worth it to see so many cultures from the Celtic Nations come together at the one place,” Ms Bombell said.
While the show focuses on culture from the Celtic Nations, this year’s theme is focused on highlighting Ireland and Isle of Man.
“What our point of difference is from other Celtic Festivals around Australia is we have a highlighted Celtic Nation; we celebrate all Celtic Nations but we decided to put a little spotlight on Ireland and Isle of Man, with the introduction of a Celtic Kitchen to the festival, as well as having renowned Chef Cian Mulholland doing a cooking demonstration synonymous with Ireland,” Ms Bombell said.
Fiddle player Gerry O’Connor will also be making an appearance at the show, coming all the way from Ireland to perform various shows throughout the 4 day event.
Ms Bombell says the event is not just a spectacle of multiple Celtic cultures, but it’s also an educational event.
“We have very knowledgeable people coming to the festival that will be talking about Celtic Culture and the history behind it as well as the Standing Stones, and how they are significant. There’s also an opportunity for festival goers to learn different Celtic languages,” she said.
The festival will be jam packed with all things Celtic including medieval reenactments, kids capers where they learn how to be knighted, and one of the main attractions being the Highland Games.
“It’s a huge event to the festival which will go over 2 days, and they’re real competitions that take place including back hold wrestling which is one of the highlights of that particular event”, Ms Bombell said.
The Australian Celtic Festival runs from Thursday 2nd May to Sunday 5th May, with the Main Event being held at The Standing Stones Monument on the Saturday and Sunday. Tickets available by heading to www.australiancelticfestival.com.
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