Celtic Connections 2026 kicks off!

Celtic Connections 2026 kicks off next week - Thursday, 15 January - and is set to attracts thousands of music lovers  across the world to Glasgow for the premier winter music festival of its kind. Famed for its adventurous spirit, the festival will stage more than 300 events across 25 venues and spanning more than 10 genres across 18 days.

I have attended, covered and photographed at the festival since 2008, nearly twenty years now!! The lighting at concerts is now much more sophisticated. At this cold, dark time of year Celtic Connections offers some joyous warmth with the range, quality and diversity of their unique and international collaborations. Over the years I’ve been to so many memorable concerts. 

 

Everything You Need to Know About Celtic Connections 2026

 

The renowned festival every year transforms Glasgow in January into a must-visit destination for music lovers is now just over a week away.

Celtic Connections – Scotland’s premier winter festival of its kind – attracts thousands of fans and performers to the city from all corners of the world, offering unforgettable moments, groundbreaking collaborations, and a love for music that only Glasgow can provide with its many outstanding venues.

 

When is it?

The countdown is on! Celtic Connections 2026 runs from 15 January to 1 February 2026. Over 300 events at 25+ venues across the city, with audiences of more than 110,000 expected to experience Glasgow’s biggest winter celebration of music and culture.

 

Who’s performing?

With a lineup of over 1,200 artists, of global icons, homegrown heroes and breakthrough names.

Headliners 2026 include country music royalty Emmylou Harris, legendary Cuban collective Buena Vista All Stars, Americana powerhouse Lucinda Williams,Scottish folk-rock pioneers Skerryvore, Grammy-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, Senegalese orchestral sensation Baobab,

 

Québec’s vibrant music scene contributes acts like Le Vent du Nord and Bon Débarras, highlighting the festival’s commitment to international cultural exchange. indie duo Watchhouse and Mon Rovîa, who tells his refugee story through the healing sound of Afro-Appalachian folk.

Opening Concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, World Connections, and a range of one-off collaborations featured throughout the programme. Festival favourites return, including Roaming Roots Revue (Icons Vol. 2), Transatlantic Sessions, and the Danny Kyle Open Stage that showcases emerging talent.

 

Is it for young people?

Absolutely! Celtic Connections is dedicated to making world-class music accessible to everyone, including the next generation. The popular Under 26 Festival Pass is back, providing discounted entry for those aged 18 - 25 to a selection of events – perfect for students, young professionals, and anyone discovering new sounds.

Additionally, the acclaimed Education Programme returns, with thousands of local schoolchildren invited to special concerts and workshops, planting the seeds for a lifelong love of music.

 

What type of music can you hear?

Celtic Connections is famed for its adventurous spirit – audiences will enjoy traditional folk, roots, indie, and world music; blues, jazz, orchestral, Americana, and even electronic influences. 

Experience Gaelic song and Scottish ballads, orchestral world premieres, like The Ayoub Sisters’ Arabic Symphony, roots collaborations linking Scotland with Brazil, Mexico, and beyond, and captivating new commissions. Whether you crave the pulse of a late-night ceilidh or the intimacy of story-driven folk, the festival showcases music in all its diversity.

 

What’s new for 2026?

Once again ambitious collaborations and boundary-pushing debuts take centre stage:

•    For the first time, the Emirates Arena will host two back to back shows: an incredible farewell show from Emmylou Harris and its largest folk-rock party yet with Skerryvore

•    Citizens Theatre becomes an official festival venue for the first time, welcoming the likes of Glasgow’s own spellbinding Alice Faye and Òran Ùr, a night celebrating 25 years of new Gaelic songs

•    Cross-cultural projects bring together musicians from Scotland, Sweden, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil and Iraq

•    Innovative shows like Tràigh Mhòr will bring Brazilian and Scottish roots together, and the world premiere of Delusions blends music, spoken word and multimedia art, while the Maclean Brothers’ night will celebrate extraordinary stories of endurance and global connection

•    A new multi-year partnership with the Edinburgh International Book Festival sees groundbreaking collaborations between Scotland's celebrated writers and musicians including The Golden Road featuring William Dalrymple, India Alba and renowned artists.

 

How do I get a ticket?

Tickets for the festival are available now at www.celticconnections.com. 

 

Celtic Connections Creative Producer, Donald Shaw, said: “Celtic Connections is big, bold and inspiring – it’s a festival that isn’t afraid to take risks, champions artistic expression and believes in collaboration, and having fun. There’s a special kind of magic that fills Glasgow every January during Celtic Connections. Come and join us to experience unforgettable shows, world-class artists, and surprises around every corner. We can’t wait to share these moments with everyone who loves music as much as we do!”

 

This year’s festival, delivered by Glasgow Life in partnership with Innis & Gunn, promises inspiration, discovery and the warmest of welcomes – here’s everything you need to know.

Celtic Connections is delivered with funding from Glasgow City Council through Glasgow Life. Creative Scotland and The Scottish Government Festivals Expo Fund continue to provide invaluable support to Celtic Connections.

NEW festival The Reeling

 

                                                  Glasgow gets major new festival with launch of The Reeling

Summertime celebration of Scottish music to come to Rouken Glen Park this June

The prayers of Glasgow audiences with an appetite for Scottish music have been answered, with the launch of a major new summertime festival in the city, The Reeling.

 

Rouken Glen Park will burst to life with traditional Scottish and roots music from some of the country’s most exciting artists on Saturday 10th andSunday 11th June 2023, for what will be the biggest single weekend of traditional music in the Central Belt. The Reeling is the brainchild of Glasgow-based music promoter Michael Pellegrotti, who is one of the co-directors behind the incredibly successful Skye Live Festival.

 

This new 5,000-capacity festival in Glasgow’s south side, which will be a celebration of Scottish culture, creativity and community, has made a strong commitment to deliver a first-class, professionally-run visitor experience for audiences from the get go, as well as putting a laser focus on sustainability, championing a fair working environment for event staff, and committing to a gender-balanced line up from its first year.

Skerryvore

With the word ‘reeling’ derived from much-loved Scottish dances and tunes, the aptly named festival is guaranteed to be an almighty knees-up, both on and off the stage, thanks to the likes of Scottish favourites Skerryvore, who will close the festival on Sunday night, and inimitable party starters Peatbog Fairies, who will close The Reeling on Saturday.

Braebach

Talisk

Iona Fyfe

Sian

The opening day also sees a raft of thriving Scottish talent grace the outdoor stage including Folk Band of the Year Breabach, Gaelic supergroup Dàimh, trad four-piece Fras, highly sought-after folk act RURA, Gaelic vocal harmony trio Sian, the groundbreaking and genre-defying trio Talisk and electro-trad duo Valtos.

On Sunday Skerryvore will be joined by a cast of much-loved acts in the form of Scotland’s most celebrated fiddle band Blazin' Fiddles, Hebrides powerhouse Eabhal, Stornoway electro-Celtic band Face The West, energetic trad act Heron Valley, festival favourites Hò-Rò, Scots singer Iona Fyfe and beloved folk singer Siobhan Miller.  

As well as a performance-packed outdoor main stage, the tree-lined Rouken Glen Park site will be home to some unique dining experiences and other activities that will make The Reeling a truly memorable summer day out for music fans of all ages.

 

 

Weekend tickets will be available at an exclusive price until 9 March. Sign up at

 

 thereeling.com. 

 

Coastal Connections: at Celtic Connections Festival 2020

This new festival within a festival proved a highly successful and sold-out event. For the price of a ticket, we were given a wristband as access to musical performances of the highest calibre, celebrating Scotland’s vast coastlines and many islands.

The festival was held over the concert halls several spaces – the main auditorium, exhibition hall, Buchannan suite, and Strathclyde suite. The main event took place in a more relaxed setting in the main hall, with tables and chairs set up in the front area. All this proved ideal for families and for dancing. 

Some of the festivals top ceilidh bands took part – 

From north Uist we were treated to the perfect voice of Julie Fowlis along with Eamon Doorley, Zoe Conway and John McIntyre. Diamh from the Hebrides, proved a strong presence with accomplished musicians and with lead singer, Ellen MacDonald

Capercaillie from Oban, were the ultimate professionals: a band with strong tunes with contemporary rhythms led by

 accordion player and festival director Donald Shaw and with the moving Gaelic voice of Karen Matheson. Tiree-based Skerryvore are a powerhouse ceilidh band led by pipes and song, and they lit up the final show here. 

The more intimate spaces musicians included  - Orkney bands Gnoss and Fara; fiddler Gillian Frame from Arran; Ceol Nan Eilean from Benbecula; from Cape Breton Miller, MacDonald, Cormier and Feis Rois with John Somerville’s Voyage of the Hector; Esther Swift’s The Flood; from Lochaber Ingrid Henderson, Anna and Mairearad from the Black Isle. 

There were also art displays and musical instruments on show. I thought there might have been more coastal signage or art displays. There certainly are many outstanding photographers who shoot powerful images of Scotland’s incredible coastlines, perhaps a display for another day.

I’ve been fortunate myself to visit Scotland’s islands recently and the north coast. If the weather is kind ( as it is in may or the autumn) there is nothing to surpass the wildness, the subtle, shifting light, blinding wind or thunderous waves or perfect white sands.

(photos from north Uist nature reserve, Scarra Brae Orkney, North Coast 500

The festival had a dramatic opening spectacle with STORM, a 10m high sun goddess STORM made of driftwood by Edinburgh’s Vision Mechanics to celebrate our seas. Her voice the chorus of the waves to celebrate our seas, care of our coastlines and to put our environment first – she made her journey from the Clyde to the Glasgow concert hall.

*CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2015!

Transatlantic Sessions

Fred Morrison

Julie Fowlis

CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2015 starts next week on 15^th January!

Celtic is one of the music highlights of the Scottish calendar, with many top musicians worldwide and such interesting collaborations. Celtic is the world biggest folk music festival - with over 2000 performers, 300 shows, over 18 days and 20 venues.

Van Morrison is the biggest name this year.

Other highlights include, Fairport Convention, Eddi Reader, King Creosote, Skerryvore, Roaming Roots Revue, Braebach and more.

The main concerts are held at the festival.s centre, The Glasgow Concert Hall, which will host many of the bigger names and concerts;

Glasgow Concert Hall

The Opening concert will feature the music of Scottish composer Martin Bennett's Grit album with the full orchestra.

There is a tribute concert to celebrated songwriter and folk legend Ewan MacColl (1915 - 1989) hosted by his sons Calum and Neill - with Dick Gaughan, Martin Carthy, Karine Polwart, Jarvis Cocker and Eliza Carthy.

A show of the award winning Hollywood composer Craig Armstrong new album it's Nearly Tomorrow with singers Paul Buchanan, and Brett Anderson. His cinema scores include Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet.

Other highlights include - Fairport Convention, Eddi Reader, King Creosote, and world music with the exuberant soul of African singer Angelique Kidjo and the Scottish National Orchetra.

And of course the sold out Transatlantic Sessions with top musicians form Scotland and America joining forces – led by fiddler Aly Bain and dubro player Jerry Douglas. 

Nicola Benedetti

Rab Noakes

The Old Fruitmarket often hosts fun celeidh bands; The City Halls for seated concerts; The O2 ABC Sauchiehall street for some of the younger indie bands. The Oran Mor and St Andrews on the Square will hold smaller concerts – which can also be outstanding events with creative and top artists. You can check the festival’s online brochure for more details. http://www.celticconnections.com/

Angelique Kidjo

It is also well worth checking out the open mics at the Danny Kyle stage for new talent and also the Late Sessions which so many of the performers turn up for.

 Celtic Connections 2015  - 'music that is personal and unique'. Music that holds hundreds of stories like the big old tree.  http://www.celticconnections.com/