Every fall Cape Breton Island explodes with the world’s finest Celtic talent. One of Canada’s premiere musical events, you’ll find concerts everywhere during Celtic Colours International Festival. From the smallest of halls to the largest arenas of our communities, see world-class musicians share the stage with the Island’s finest singers, dancers, players, and storytellers.
Mark your calendars for
Celtic Colours International Festival At Home
8-16 October 2021
Since 1997, Cape Breton Island has attracted world-wide audiences to our shores with this 9-day music festival. Featuring energy, talent, and an iconic fall backdrop, it’s the perfect way to experience the rich culture of our Island through song, art, and dance.
From community halls and churches to modern theatres and arenas, you’ll find festival venues in 32 communities across the Island. But, don’t be fooled. No matter how small the hall, there’ll be big talent alongside our finest singers, dancers, players, and storytellers.
More than 300 cultural experiences take place Island-wide during Celtic Colours. Immerse yourself in our communities with workshops, farmers’ markets, artist’s series and more throughout this year’s festival.
Beer, cheer, and good company. The Colaisde Na Gàidhlig (Gaelic College) plays hosts to festival goers and artists alike as it turns into a bustling after party. Join in nightly after the scheduled evening concerts for a laidback musical showcase in an informal setting.
Before they were committed to memory and passed down and around through the ages, the traditional songs of today were once brand new.
The annual Guitar Summit concert serves as an obvious showcase for these world-class pickers, but this wealth of talent inevitably shines through in concerts throughout each Festival.
The Gaels celebrated their culture not in huge buildings or sculptures but in their songs. Their songs told the stories of the people, the land, good times and bad, love's lost and yearned for.
There’s nothing better than watching two musicians who just love playing music together.
It is well-established that dance tradition is an important, if not defining, influence on Cape Breton's traditional music.
As a songwriter, I’ve often described my creative process as though I have tuned into an invisible radio frequency.
There are direct flights to Sydney from Toronto and Montreal and from other North American and European cities via Halifax. If traveling by ground, the Trans-Canada Highway 104 leads to Cape Breton Island.
Getting Here and Around