Celtic Connections facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Celtic Connections |
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| Status | Active |
| Genre | Festival of Scottish folk music |
| Dates | 18 days in January / February |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Glasgow Royal Concert Hall |
| Location(s) | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°51′52″N 4°15′11″W / 55.864503°N 4.252921°W |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Inaugurated | 1994 |
| Founder | Colin Hynd |
| Most recent | 2022 |
| Attendance | 130,000 |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| Artistic Director | Donald Shaw |
| Organised by | Glasgow Life |
Celtic Connections is a huge music festival that started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland. It happens every January and February. The festival celebrates traditional Scottish music, but also features folk, roots, and world music from all over the globe.
Imagine over 300 concerts, fun ceilidhs (traditional Scottish parties with music and dancing), talks, and workshops! It's a busy 18 days. The festival is put on by Glasgow Life, a group that manages culture and sports in Glasgow. Donald Shaw, a musician from the band Capercaillie, became the festival's Artistic Director in 2006. He helps decide which artists perform.
A big part of Celtic Connections is its Education Programme. Thousands of school children get to attend free morning concerts. This might be their first time experiencing live music! The festival also helps new and young musicians through special concerts and the Danny Kyle Open Stage competition.
After the main concerts finish each night, there's a late-night Festival Club. Musicians from the festival often get together there for special, unplanned performances. It's a unique chance to see artists collaborate!
Contents
Festival History: How It Started and Grew
The Celtic Connections festival was created by Colin Hynd in 1994. He wanted to fill a quiet time at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall after Christmas. His idea was to create a festival with many types of music, from traditional to more modern sounds. He also promoted it on BBC Radio Scotland.
The first festival was a success, attracting 33,000 people. All the events were held inside the Concert Hall. In 1995, the festival grew even bigger. It had 130 events over 17 days, with more than 50,000 people attending. Famous artists like Alan Stivell performed, alongside new talents.
By 1996, the festival started using more venues around Glasgow. It even had a special Cajun music festival and a late-night club. A special event that year brought folk and classical music together, which became a popular part of the festival. Many well-known bands like Capercaillie and The Fureys performed.
The festival kept growing. In 1997, 61,000 people attended. The late-night club became very popular! New types of events, like The House of Song, focused on traditional singing.
By its 13th year in 2006, over 300 artists performed for more than 100,000 people across eight venues. In 2008, Celtic Connections celebrated its 15th birthday. Attendance reached 120,000, with events in 14 venues over 19 days.
Celtic Connections brings visitors from all over the world to Glasgow. It's an important part of the city's culture and helps the local economy. The festival also helps connect artists and cultures from different countries. In 2008, Showcase Scotland brought 200 music industry experts from 35 countries to Scotland. They came to find Scottish bands to book for festivals abroad.
By 2020, the festival had over 300 events in 29 different venues. It reported 130,000 attendees, with a daily capacity of 25,000 people.
Amazing Artists Who Have Played
Many incredible artists have performed at Celtic Connections over the years. Here are just a few:
- Joan Baez
- Bob Geldof
- Clannad
- Capercaillie
- Kate Rusby
- Sinéad O'Connor
- Alison Krauss
- Shane MacGowan
- Runrig
- Eddi Reader
- Evelyn Glennie
- Carlos Núñez
- Billy Bragg
- k.d. lang
- Steve Earle
- Snow Patrol
- Alan Stivell
In 2014, artists like Mary Chapin Carpenter and Bobby Womack performed. For the first time, some shows were held at the huge 12,000-seat Hydro Arena. In 2016, Rhiannon Giddens and The Milk Carton Kids were among the performers.
Festival Venues: Where the Magic Happens
The main place for the festival is the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Performances and workshops happen in every part of this building. But many other cool places around Glasgow also host concerts:
- The Old Fruitmarket
- The City Halls
- Barrowland Ballroom
- Tron Theatre
- Mitchell Theatre
- National Piping Centre
- Tramway
- The Mackintosh Church
- St Luke's
- Òran Mór
In the past, events have also been held at places like the O2 ABC, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, and Glasgow Cathedral.
Special Festival Features
Transatlantic Sessions
Transatlantic Sessions started as a TV show in 1995. The idea was to bring traditional musicians from the USA, UK, and Ireland together to create music. At Celtic Connections, the Transatlantic Sessions concert does the same thing. It features a main band and several guest musicians from different countries. This show has been a yearly highlight since 2004 and always sells out super fast!
The main band often includes musicians like Aly Bain, Phil Cunningham, Jerry Douglas, and Donald Shaw. Guest artists change each year, bringing new sounds and collaborations.
Roaming Roots Revue
The Roaming Roots Revue became a yearly event at the festival in 2013. It's a special one-off show led by Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire. They invite a group of guest artists to perform together around a chosen theme. For example, in 2019, they celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' album Abbey Road with artists like KT Tunstall. Other themes have included the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Supporting New Talent
Celtic Connections is dedicated to helping new and young musicians get noticed.
New Voices
New Voices (Celtic Connections musical commission) The New Voices series gives talented musicians the chance to create and perform a brand new piece of music. It's a special commission that helps artists develop their skills and share their unique sound with a big audience.
Danny Kyle Open Stage
The Danny Kyle Open Stage is a competition and showcase for new musicians. It happens almost every day during the festival in the late afternoon, and it's free to watch! Five solo artists or bands perform a short set. The best six acts from the series get to compete in a final show on the last day of the festival. The winners are then offered a chance to perform at the next year's festival. All these concerts are broadcast live on Celtic Music Radio.
The competition started in 1998, named after Danny Kyle, who helped create it. Many successful bands, like Malinky and Breabach, have been past winners.
Celtic Connections on Campus
Since 2015, free lunchtime concerts called Celtic Connections on Campus have been held at Glasgow Caledonian University. These concerts are part of the festival but are organized by the university's students and staff. The performers are current students or recent graduates, giving them a great opportunity to play for a live audience. These concerts are also broadcast live on Celtic Music Radio.
BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician
The final concert of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician competition usually takes place in City Halls on the last day of the festival. It's even shown on TV on BBC Alba!
Education Programme
The festival's education programme started in 1999. By 2020, over 200,000 children from all over Scotland had taken part! Each year, about 15,000 children attend free concerts at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. For many, this is their very first time seeing live music. The festival also runs workshops in schools for another 2,000 children. These workshops teach kids about traditional arts like singing, storytelling, dancing, and playing instruments.
Showcase Scotland
Showcase Scotland is the biggest music industry event in Scotland. It happens during the last weekend of Celtic Connections. This event helps promote Scottish and visiting artists to people who book musicians for festivals and work in the music industry. It's supported by Creative Scotland.
Broadcast Coverage
Celtic Music Radio sets up its studio right in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall during the festival. They broadcast about seven hours of live material every day! This includes interviews with performers, reviews of shows, and live coverage of concerts, including every act on the Danny Kyle Open Stage.
BBC Radio Scotland also provides lots of coverage. Highlights are even broadcast on the national station BBC Radio 2 and on BBC ALBA's special music shows.
Awards and Recognition
In February 2004, Celtic Connections received the "Good Tradition Award" at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. This award recognized its amazing contribution to traditional music and culture. The festival also won a Nordoff Robbins Tartan Clef Award more recently.
See also
