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This years Beechworth Celtic Festival Committee has expanded the range of venues This year to suit the variety of performers. With the traditional concert venues in the Memorial, Town and RSL halls we also have Tanswells Hotel, The Hibernian Hotel, The Nicholas Hotel, providing venues for our busy program. The Empire Hotel will host the Melbourne City Pipe Band for those wanting to enjoy the traditional raw Scottish sound.

This year will host a Free Blackboard stage so any budding musicians are encouraged to register on the day to get a real festival experience. Audiences will enjoy the diversity of free entertainment and provide plenty of encouragement to new acts, it could be the talent unearthed highlight of the festival.

Following on the education and enjoyment created by last years workshop series there will be a number of workshops for budding musicians and interested audiences. These sessions were a real hit last year and add real value to the festival ticket. Watch and talk to the people who make the music, pick up the tips to help you enjoy their skill and add to your own knowledge.

Saturday night the Festival concert allows you to witness a range of bands selected from the weekends program to give a short introduction to their style. It’s a great chance to see the range of Celtic music and select the bands you want to take some more time with. Be warned at $30.00 for a family this concert is great value for money and when you see the array of talent it makes the price of the seasons pass look even better. Of course if you are inclined to settle in for a solid nights entertainment you can select from the program enjoy a meal at your favourite hotel and be entertained by the festival band.

We are fortunate to have the involvement of each of our excellent hotels as festival venues.

The Empire Hotel is the festival home of the Melbourne City Pipe Band and you can enjoy a program of riotous but controlled traditional Scottish revelry. With scheduled and impromptu performances assured it is a great place to enjoy good food, good drinks, good music, good times.

The Nicholas Hotel Hosts Bantree on Saturday night, generally sold out in advance this much appreciated group have delighted Beechworth many times. Its no surprise that they are scheduled for a Sunday afternoon reprise. The Nicholas also has Friday evening and Saturday afternoon with the Colonials. Enjoy this bands wealth of musical experience as they provide a rousing and traditional performance for that true Celtic experience.

The Hibernian not only has the Celtic heritage but is hosting ToRags Friday night who also kick off Saturday afternoon. A lively modern band with energy to burn but influenced with real Celtic roots. Rickety Bridge, Flanagans Mob, fill in the afternoon and lead up to Celtaclysmic for an assured afternoon of entertainment. If there wasn’t so much to enjoy around the festival you wouldn’t want to leave. Sunday afternoon sees the return of ToRags to finish their weekends work at their Beechworth home

Tanswells Hotel has a reputation for music and mayhem. They will keep the Celtic tradition alive with Sibin on Friday night, Not the Wolf Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. With Sibin, Red Cat, and Flanagans mob performing during Saturday afternoon they will have a full Celtic experience which will be hard to leave. Tanswells provides an environment to take in the music and has plenty of dining options to just sit back relax and let the Celtic mood embrace you.

Friday night will be the Opening Gala Dinner at the Old Priory Beechworth. A spectacular event of all things Celtic beginning with the Scottish Haggis ceremony at 7.15. If you haven’t seen this before and even if you have the ceremony and tasting is worth the admission price of $65. So when you get an evening of food and entertainment Hosted by Colin Mockettone of the festival favourites you are bound to have a great time. As well as Colin’s rich and often provocative humour you will have 4 performances to enhance the 3 course meal. We would think there will be plenty of the local Beechworth wine consumed as well in a very responsible fashion.

You can visit the Program to see the array of performers over the weekend. While this is provisional, artists have been keen to come to this premiere event and there is only likely to be minor changes.

The festival will showcase more than 20 bands from around Australia in a series of concerts and workshops, including Not the Wolf, Celtacylismic, Sibin , Red Cat and ToRags adding a frantic edge to the always well received Bantree and the traditional Scottish pipes

Flanagans Mob, Humbug, Schroedingers Cat, Mandy and Helen, Leanne Murphy, Pauline Hammans, Shirley Power and many more show the depth of the program available for the serious Celtic music lover over the weekend

Lochaber No More will be returning to Beechworth and has encouraged Archibalds Legacy as performances encompassing a story within a musical presentation. These popular presentations will likely be sold out and booking is recommended.

 

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