Celtic festivals celebrate Celtic culture, which in modern times may be via dance, Celtic music, food, Celtic art, or other mediums. Ancient Celtic festivals included religious and seasonal events such as bonfires, harvest festivals, storytelling and music festivals, and dance festivals. This list includes Celtic festivals held throughout the world.

History

There are several specific and often ancient types of Celtic festivals. A fèis (plural fèiseannan) is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival, currently used referring to Irish dance competitions. In Ancient Ireland communities placed great importance on local festivals, where Gaels could come together in song, dance, music, theatre and sport. Today the Fèis has experienced something of a rebirth, both for ethnic Gaels and for enthusiasts of the Gaelic culture in Ireland and Scotland, and worldwide. Other ancient festivals include the eisteddfod, which is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance dating back to at least the 12th century. The present-day format owes much to an eighteenth-century revival arising out of a number of informal eisteddfodau. Comparable to the eisteddfod but without the ancient roots, the Mòd is a festival of Scottish Gaelic song, arts and culture. There are both local mods and an annual national Mòd, the Royal National Mòd, which take the form of formal competitions, with choral events and traditional music including fiddle, bagpipe and folk groups. There are spoken word events, original dramas, and competitions in written literature. The concept of modern Celtic identity evolved during the course of the 19th-century into the Celtic Revival and the growth of Celtic nations. After World War II, the focus of the Celticity movement shifted to linguistic revival and protectionism, e.g. protecting Celtic languages. The Celtic revival also led to the emergence of musical and artistic styles identified as Celtic. Music typically drew on folk traditions within the Celtic nations, and instruments such as Celtic harp. Art drew on decorative styles associated with the ancient Celts and with early medieval Celtic Christianity, along with folk-styles. Cultural events to promote "inter-Celtic" cultural exchange also emerged, including festivals.

Celtic festivals by country

Oceania

Australia

Europe

Switzerland

Czech Republic

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

Spain

Poland

Portugal

Romania

United Kingdom

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Cornwall

Isle of Man

South America

Brazil

North America

Canada

Arizona

California

Florida

Iowa

Idaho

Maryland

Michigan

Mississippi

Montana

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Texas

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Caribbean

Barbados

Cuba

Africa

South Africa

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