Celtic Connections 2027 announced

 

Transatlantic Sessions

GRIT orchestra

From 14 – 31 January 2027, world renowned Celtic Connections will inspire in 2027, with 18 days of unique events, special collaborations, world premieres, and intimate shows, all celebrating music’s power to transcend borders, cultures, generations and genres.

  - of folk, traditional, roots, world, jazz, orchestral, electronic, Americana and indie music will welcome musicians from 20 countries, across Scotland, Ireland, the US, Canada, Spain, Senegal, Australia, Pakistan, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway,  France, Sudan, India and Portugal, for its 34th edition. This forward-thinking festival, embraces tradition as constantly evolving. 

With 300 events across 25 venues.

The festival returns to venues O2 Academy, Glasgow International Arena – formerly the Emirates Arena – best loved venues Old Fruitmarket, SWG3 and Saint Luke’s.

From emerging talent to world-class acts, highlights of the 2027 programme include:

      Scotland's GRIT Orchestra: World Premiere – Celtic Connections’ famed Opening Concert will welcome Scottish traditional music in an orchestral setting,  a homage to Martyn Bennet. This acclaimed ensemble, conducted by Greg Lawson, will perform brand new arrangements of some of the greatest melodies in the folk repertoire, bringing both ancient and contemporary tunes into a symphony setting.

Headliners at Glasgow International Arena – The festival will take over Glasgow International Arena. Friday night, Irish folk-rock giants The Saw Doctors take on one of their biggest headline gigs in the city to date, Saturday night will welcome Indian composer AR Rahman for a spectacular orchestral collaboration, Rangreza with British talents Rushil Ranjan and Abi Sampa. the first time the show that bridges the gap between Western and Indian classical music has been performed in the UK outside of London’s Royal Albert Hall.

One of the most widely regarded live performers in contemporary music, José González, will play Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The international star is best-known for his cover of Heartbeats, which has earned him over 1 billion streams to date. Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon will play the O2 Academy with her Big Band and some very special guests including Bob Geldof.

Orchestral twist – Celtic Connections will pair folk music with Scotland’s national orchestras. This year Irish collective Ye Vagabonds backed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. King Creosote will partner with Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and experimental small- piper Brìghde Chaimbeul teams up with the Scottish Ensemble.

Tribute to Scottish folk legend Archie Fisher at City Halls; Tribute to songwriting of Joni Mitchell at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum; Fifty years on from his passing, Glasgow’s legendary folk singer Matt McGinn will be honoured at the Tron Theatre; Georgia Rose Lucas presents a special 80th anniversary tribute to her mum, British folk-rock pioneer Sandy Denny.

Trad mad – giants of Scotland and Ireland’s flourishing folk and trad scenes will put on shows across the festival’s three weeks. West coast party starters Trail West, Highland heroes Elephant Sessions, Scots singers Siobhan Miller and Kris Drever, Gaelic artists Julie Fowlis, Breabach, Kim Carnie and Irish trad stars Beoga all have headline slots.

Amazing Americana – A wealth of Americana, country and folk talent will cross the Atlantic for Celtic Connections, with chart-topping bluegrass star Sierra Hull, Seattle’s The Brudi Brothers, LA duo Milk Carton Kids, Grammy award-winning Punch Brothers.

Global beats – Sudanese singer, oud player Sulaf makes her Scottish debut Òran Mór, blending her soaring voice with electronics. Raghu Dixit, one of India's most inventive and charismatic artists brings his trio to the Drygate on the festival’s final night. Mauritanian singer, songwriter griot Noura Mint Seymali will share her exciting trance blue, star of a new generation of West African musicians Momi Maiga performs as part of World Connections at the Tramway.

Platforming new voices – This year’s three exciting young artists commissioned to create an entirely new suite of music through the New Voices initiative 2027 are small pipes player Fionnlagh Mac A' Phiocair, accordionist  Andrew Waite, and fiddle player Madeleine Stewart.

●      Óle for Asturias – the festival welcomes Spanish principality Asturias as its international partner, showcasing music from the rich folk music heritage of the region.

●      Fun for all ages – from dementia-friendly shows and school concerts to late-night, spontaneous sessions at the Festival Club and Late-Night Sessions at Drygate, the usual dynamic mix of events and experiences will be on offer.

Breabach

Kris Drever

Julie Fowlis

General tickets go on sale Thursday 8 October at celticconnections.com for the first shows confirmed for 2027, with new gigs on sale each Thursday in October. 

Delivered by Glasgow Life – the charity that leads culture, events and active living in Glasgow – the multi-award-winning festival reflects the UNESCO City of Music itself: international, creative, welcoming, packed with personality and proud of its identity. For 2027, Celtic Connections is embracing its role both as the ultimate winter blues buster. The roll out of New Roots – a £1 membership scheme for under 26s – will allow students and young music lovers to get up to 50% off tickets for selected shows.

Duncan Chisholm

Celtic Connections Creative Director Donald Shaw, who will mark 21 years at the helm of the festival, said: “January is all about embracing musical exploration, uncovering something new that takes you by surprise, and getting out and about regardless of the dark nights. This festival believes in great music, excellent company and the power of connection. That spirit of discovery and optimism runs right through the 2027 programme, with artists people will know and love, new names, unique collaborations and shows that simply won’t happen anywhere else. For 18 days, Celtic Connections will be a meeting place for cultures, ideas and a sprinkling of intangible magic, so come and get curious, we promise you won’t regret it.”

 

Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life and Convenor for Culture, Sport and International Relations for Glasgow City Council, said: “Celtic Connections is one of Scotland’s most popular festivals and a shining example of the strength, diversity and global appeal of Glasgow’s iconic music scene. It’s a source of great pride for Glasgow that thousands of visitors make their way to our UNESCO City of Music each year to experience the thrilling sights and sounds of Celtic Connections and be part of the festival’s legendary audiences. We’re looking forward to welcoming new and returning festivalgoers to another spectacular celebration of folk, roots and world music in 2027.”

Celtic Connections is supported by the Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund and Creative Scotland, and CalMac.

 

Alan Riach discussed the Scottish Renaissance Montrose at EIBF 2026

 

Professor Alan Riach

This event was chaired by Linden Bicket. along with authors Kirsty Gunn and James Robertson: In a lively panel chat. 

They discussed the Scotland of 1926  - A hundred years ago, Scottish literature was crackling with new energy. The authors revisited the Scottish Renaissance through landmark works including Hugh MacDiarmid’s A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle, the early work of Neil M Gunn (newly reissued this year), and other under-sung voices including Willa Muir and Helen Cruickshank. 

The authors pursued their deep dive into a remarkable literary moment and the writers who helped reshape Scotland’s imaginative life. 

Alan Riach said that back in the1930s, Montrose was the Paris of the north.

Alan Riach is a Scottish poet and academic. He taught at the University of Waikato in New Zealand from 1986 until 2001. He is currently the Professor of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow. Riach was President of the association for Scottish literary Studies from 2006 to 2010 and is a regular contributor to The National. 

A few years ago I visited the small coastal town of Montrose, my husband said there’s not a lot to do here. I went a walk to the small library there and to my surprise discovered that Montrose had been the birthplace of a Scottish Renaissance in the 1930s, led by the Scots poet Hugh MacDiarmid. Nearly a century ago now, there was a Scottish cultural renaissance in Montrose – with figures such as poets Hugh MacDiarmid, William Soutar, Edwin and Willa Muir. Plus novelists Neil Gunn, Lewis Grassic Gibbons, Catherine Carswell, Nan Shepherd, Sorely Maclean, Iain Crichton Smith, RB Cunningham Graham, George Douglas Brown.

Kirsty Gunn

Riach writes, “Irish reunification will come. Scotland’s independence will come. The political system and its media only exist for self perpetuation. 

 

This too is ours to resist. These things will not prevail. The only reliable truths come through the arts and they remain accessible to people, discoverable, no matter how much our enemies have tried to obscure them or deny them their value and place. 

 

What gives us the hope and the drive, the sense of necessary purpose. Music, stories, poems and plays: paintings, sculpture, colour and form, our languages, all that art can do. 

 

How do we move forward. “It comes with understanding, then knowledge, and then wisdom. 

In the absence of this, Imagination must be served, or it feeds on itself; then superstitions come creeping in. 

Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia at EIBF 2026

 

Jimmy Wales chatted with Heather Pony at the Edinburgh book festival 2026.. Wales is one of the top 250 leaders who shape our world. He said he started with Newpedia, which didn’t succeed.

Then the idea for a free encyclopaedia that people could trust, and that people can edit. Wikipedia was set up in 2001, as a charity when there was the hopeful world of the internet. Wikipedia now has 700 employees, and is based in San Francisco.

 

He spoke of his Triangle of Trust – empathy, authenticity, logic. “We don’t use algorithms.”   

The Five Rules of Wikipedia – the wiki foundation and the identification of best practice. 

Plus Quality, reliable source, Neutrality, Transparency, We always could do better. We must offer the best arguments, analyse things.

 

He spoke of the attacks from the Far Right. Elon Musk set up Rockopedia which failed – and which encourages extremes. 

 

Wales was asked could AI write Wikipedia? No not good enough yet and can make things up. AI is deeply flawed. AI can be useful for references. AI agents editing. CHATGpt and AI can help with coding. AI is not edited and Google AI is wrong 28% of the time. Google is a monopoly.

 

Wiki Traffic has had a 8% drop, with a 7% drop in revenue. Many now want quick answers. Plus a decline in first time editors. Wales spoke of Wiki’s Long form traffic. 

Wikipedia depends on donations, and has no Ads. Wiki is like a life raft, of trust and Wales said they work to make it better. He said that Disinformation is a problem and requires content and government regulation.

 

Wikipedia is banned in China, And in Turkey Wiki fought in the courts and won. In the Western world its important to have free dialogue – with diverse, open, free discourse in society. Wales spoke of the ownership of the media by Big tech. Jeff Bezo bought the Washington Post. Rupert Murdoch bought the Wall Street Journal. Newspapers endorse a candidate. 

 

Images Edinburgh festival 2026

I’ve been making the journeys over to Edinburgh festivals the past twenty years. August is Edinburgh festival – art, music, theatre, books, comedy, dance, opera – all the arts interplay and overlap together to make this unique melting pot of what makes art special in our lives, lifts us up and why art matters. I’ve taken photos at the Fringe and the book festival.

There’s the official International festival which this year is titled ALL RISE, to celebrate the links to America and the 250 years since America’s Declaration if independence. 

The Edinburgh International Festival 2026 – 7-30 August 2026

“I am, All Rise.. look further, look beyond, can’t you see - look higher. I’m going to rise and rise.’

World-class Opera, Music, Theatre and Dance over 24 days and 147 performances. With 5 world premieres, and 10 works commissioned by the Festival. All Rise is a rallying cry encompassing collaboration, resilience and ascendance. To experience themes of freedom, ingenuity, prejudice, and hypocrisy, alongside the creative achievements made possible by the friction and energy of America's cultural melting pot. 

Nicola Benedetti - I fell in love with U S of A. instantly. I was 16 years old and within 24 hours my relationship to its “wild, abrasive, exuberant, heart filled yet harsh ferocity was sealed. I was shocked and intoxicated.”

 

There’s the International Edinburgh book festival at the Futures institute, August 15 to 30,

with 600 writers from 41 different countries. of fiction, politics, science, history, music and live performances. 150 events for families, and young adults. The theme 2026, "Changing Your Mind", to encourage visitors to "stay open and curious, championing deep listening and celebrating our capacity to evolve our thinking".  Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, "How to lead a country" along with former Finnish PM Sanna Marin, memoirs, Frankly and Hope in Action. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and technology writer Cory Doctorow. Leading writers - John Grisham, Ian Rankin, Maggie O'Farrell, Ali Smith, Jenni Fagan, Matt Haig and 2026 International Booker Prize winner Yáng Shuāng-z(Image: D

With a focus on trust and information, with conversations with journalists, researchers examining misinformation, and global narratives. Plus the rapid growth of AI and its regulation, with Steve Crossan, original DeepMind team, and Sarah Wynn-Williams, former director of public policy at Facebook.

There’s the Edinburgh FRINGE festival – with over 4,000 shows, performers from all across the world. Its comedy festival is a a major attraction. Edinburgh festival was one of the first major arts festivals begun after the second world war. Edinburgh festival was one of the first major arts festivals begun after the second world war In 1947, the founding vision was to reunite people through art. People overcame the post-war darkness, division and austerity in a blooming of festival spirit. In the 1970s with only a few hundred shows.

CELTIC REVIEW & PHOTOS 2026

 

Fiona Hunter and the Scottish Symphony orchestra

Record breaking Celtic Connections delivers message of hope and unity to the world

Its usually hard to decide, as there are so meny concerts on over the festivals weekends, which concerts to attend. The opening night this year celebrated the over 200 artists from Europe and worldwide who will perform at Celtic Connections. Through diverse, contemporary  traditional, electic, national and roots music. The festival brings people together people from different places, cultures, backgrounds, traditional – to explore and expand our musical horizons. 

This year I decided to attend Friday’s concert which brought together the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and outstanding singers with new orchestral commissions for a celebration of Scots traditional ballads, brought to a deeper resonance. singers of traditional ballads were acclaimed Scots folk singers - Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Lori Watson, Janice Burns with Jon Doran, Emily Smith, Fiona Hunter.  

 

Celtic Connections is Europe’s leading winter and roots music festival, it certainly chases away those winter blues! I was thrilled to attend several high quality and wonderful concerts this year. There are many concerts I might wish to have attended – Mother Tongue, Celebration of Gaelic song, Capercaillie, Jacob Jolliff, and many more. 

Scots legend Dick Gaughan Celebrated!

**The highlight for me at CC this year was the celebration of Scots folk legend Dick Gaughan. He is a voice of deep humanity in our present dark world. This was the most emotional Celtic concert I have been to, over my twenty years attending and doing photos! Testament to Dick’s fame and widespread appeal among legends of the folk music scene, several had travelled far and wide to perform tonight from Ireland, England and Scotland, to perform Gaughan’s well loved songs. Many has also sent messages. 

 

I first heard Dick Gaughan in the 70s at the Police folk club Edinburgh. A musician friend raved about how incredible and distinctive his guitar playing was. Many years later (after being in America for nearly ten years) I heard Gaughan again at Milngavie Folk club in 2007. This was an intimate gig where his chat and stories between songs while he tuned his guitar, was worth going for alone. In his own distinctive voice, Gaughan hammers and speaks with his acoustic guitar.

Gaughan brought many of the traditional Irish and Scots Celtic songs to new life. I’d never heard Robert Burns Westlin Winds before Gaugan introduced this as one of the best songs ever written. He searched through the Scottish national archives for the best traditional ballads. Like Burns and Dylan before him Gaughan has been a genius song collector and remaker of the old songs. He drew on his Scots and Irish traditions to develop his song craft and performance. 

Julie Fowlis and SCO

Another highlight was the excellent Irish Scots folk trad music at the concert with Julie Fowlis with SCO at Celtic Connections 2026 – with their well-crafted songs. Julie has a clear musicality, along with her husband Irish bouzouki (Greek mandolin) player Emanon Doorley and now partnered with Irish fiddler and Gaelic singer Zoe Conway and Irish musician John McIntyre.    The quartet’s 2024 ALLT albums captures their authentic traditional music with that impactful live vibe and a cohesive sound: with soaring pipes, fiddles, melodies, dynamic rhythm guitar, the emotional solo voice, and the collective and caressing soothing vocal harmonies. They played the range and depth of traditional music – and the long roots between Irish and Scottish music. Both intimate and powerful. All performers were clearly thrilled to have the impact and range of the SCO behind them, to enrich their music with strings, percussions, wind instruments. Creatively conducted by David Brophy.

Karen Matheson

The Celtic roots celebration returned for its 31^st year at Celtic Connections music festival. Transatlantic Sessions is one of the highlights of Celtic Connections music festival, with both the familiar tunes and the new. TS brings together the deep connections between Irish, Scots and American music. Its a special blend of the churning rhythms of bluegrass, country, the fine Scots melodies, jigs and reels and the haunting Irish Gaelic song. This year we were treated to a quality range of performers – from America, Kathy Mattea, and Darrell Scott: from Scotland Karine Polwart and from Ireland Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. 

Like a musical river from Tennessee to Nashville to west Kerry, than to Shetland and to Pathhead Midlothian. As Mattea described, the colourful, one off collaborating at Celtic Connections lead to arteries “like the roots of a tree that lead to different accents – and make the collaborating more sweet.” Like a fascinating patchwork quilt with the variety and range of musical styles and genres that challenge and add musical colour to our lives.

This has been another hugely successful festival to chase away the winter blues.

Darrell Scott

Kathy Mattea

Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh

 16^th  Friday -  BBC Orchestra, Beyond the Tradition

 

17^th Saturday -  Celebration of Gaelic song

 

18^th Sunday –  True and Bold:  A Night for Dick Gaughan

 

21^st Wednesday  - Julie Fowlis & Scottish Chamber orchestra

 

23^rd Friday – Capercaillie 

 

23^rd Friday - Jacob Jolliff

 

29^th Thursday  -  Shooglenifty

 

1^st February – Transatlantic Sessions

Kris Drever

Record breaking Celtic Connections delivers message of hope and unity to the world =  Celtic Connections music festival 2026 celebrated several sell out live performances, record-breaking ticket sales and unique events, sending a message of hope and unity around the world about the power of music, cultural identity and collaboration.

More than 1,600 artists over 300 events at 25 venues across in Glasgow - Scotland’s largest live music city. This year’s event recorded over 200 sell outs, compared to 125 in 2025. With attendances of 114,000 across 18 days - with the highest ever number of tickets sold in the event’s 33-year history - cementing its place as the biggest winter festival of traditional, roots and world music on the planet.  Artists from 35 countries, included Palestine, Iraq, Ukraine, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Sweden, Norway, Ireland and the United States.

 

Ceilidhs and family events proved popular, with 637 participants taking part in music and song workshops. Four free concerts welcomed 7,000 children and young people from across Scotland to the Glasgow Concert Hall. With performances from Sian, DLÙ, Celtic Fandango and Ímar. Since 1999, more than 300,000 children and young people have benefited from the festival’s learning programme.

  

The last night’s programme, included the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year final, the Danny Kyle Open Stage, Transatlantic Sessions and a performance from three-time Grammy winner Lucinda Williams, concluded the first major event in a busy year for Glasgow in 2026. 

 

Showcase Scotland shone a light on participants from Quebec, along with a wealth of homegrown talent, With international delegates attending from 24 nations for five days of top performances and networking opportunities.

 

The festival is delivered by Glasgow Life in partnership with Innis & Gunn. Celtic Connections is supported by the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund and Creative Scotland.

Glasgow will also host WOMAD for the first time in July, the 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Royal National Mòd in October.

 

Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “Scotland’s trad and folk artists were at full strength every single day during Celtic Connections 2026. Tradition bearers were honoured, new stars were born, and Scotland’s music proved yet again that it contains the very best the world has to offer. This was a particularly strong year for international artists too, as the festival celebrated different global cultures, bringing voices together in harmony, not discord, and creating music without borders.”

 

Celtic Connections Creative Director Donald Shaw said: “Such a unique coming together of performers as a global family sends a powerful message about the strength of music, cultural identity and collaboration, especially at a time when the world can feel more fragmented than ever."

“From the Drygate to Donbas, Byres Road to Baghdad, Candleriggs to Palestine, these past incredible days have been forged in friendship, fortitude and the freedom to express ourselves through song, dance and performance, filled with hope, inspiration and togetherness.  “From unforgettable headline moments to seeing artists step onto a Celtic Connections stage for the very first time, we have been united by the music and that is a legacy that will thrive long after the lights have dimmed. With the extraordinary support of our funders and partners, colleagues, venues, audiences and incredible volunteers, this is a festival built by passion and people, celebrating a rich cultural tapestry, musical pioneers and songwriting greats."

 

“To see audiences turn out in such record numbers through a cold and wet winter month is the most fitting tribute we could hope for, and I would like to thank everyone involved for making our 33rd edition so memorable, as we already begin the exciting work of looking ahead to what comes next.” 

Irish musician Mairtin O’Connor with SCO

 

Julie Fowlis was very well supported by renowned Irish accordion player Mairtin O’Connor, also backed by the orchestra on some powerful tunes. O’Connor has performed with Boys of the Lough and Riverdance. 

Tonight at Celtic Connections music festival 2026, we were treated to two celebrated musicians and composers – Julie Fowlis and Mairtin O’Connor, both brilliantly backed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. O’Connor performed his composition The Mighty Ocean: a musical dialogue between mankind and the sea, with his band, Cathal Hayden (fiddle), Seamie O’Dowd (guitar), Matthew Berrill (clarinet), Jimmy Higgins (percussion), Ciara O’Connor (cello), Sinead O’Connor (fiddle). 

He has composed music for TV and theatrical productions. In 2013 he was commissioned to compose a suite of music for the European Conference on Dolphins and Whales held in Galway. This resulted in “The Mighty Ocean”, a musical dialogue between mankind and the sea. 

As a studio session musician he’s contributed to many recordings for artists including The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Liam Clancy, Christy Moore, Luka Bloom, Moya Brennan, Mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello, Rod Stewart, Tim & Neil Finn, Tanita Tikaram and many more.