Fifty Concerts coming in October during Celtic Colours 2025 🎉

You can feel the excitement in the Festival office and in the boardroom these days as plans are starting to take shape for the 29th Celtic Colours International Festival, under the direction of an interim management team.

The team assembled by the Board has a wealth of Celtic Colours knowledge and experience with Festival co-founder Joella Foulds on board as Acting Artistic Director. Along with current staff, this team is well-positioned to take on the challenge of producing an event that lives up to the Festival’s well-earned reputation and makes Cape Bretoners proud.

Scheduled for October 10-18, Celtic Colours 2025 will present 50 concerts in 36 communities around the Island. This annual celebration of Cape Breton’s culture and traditions—through music, song, and dance—will take place in long-standing Celtic Colours venues like the historic Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay, the iconic Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, and the state-of-the-art Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou, as well as in some of the Island’s most beautiful churches, and an array of schools, and community, parish and fire halls.

As has been the tradition for more than 10 years, select concerts will also be livestreamed for those who are unable to attend in person. This year’s schedule features a total of 13 afternoon matinees taking place on eight of the nine days of the Festival, as well as concerts every night, including six licensed shows, and the always-popular Festival Club at Colaisde na Gàidhlig / The Gaelic College in St. Ann’s, which is also restricted to 19 years and over.

The Festival will open in Port Hawkesbury on Friday, October 10 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre and close in Sydney on Saturday, October 18 with a concert at Centre 200. During the nine days of the Festival there will also be concerts in Aspy Bay, Baddeck, Belle Côte, Big Pond, Boisdale, Boularderie, Chéticamp, Christmas Island, D’Escousse, Eskasoni, Glace Bay, Glendale, Ingonish, Inverness, Iona, Iron Mines, Judique, L’Ardoise, Leitches Creek, Louisbourg, Lower River Inhabitants, Mabou, Marion Bridge, Membertou, New Waterford, North Sydney, Petit-de-Grat, Port Morien, St. Ann’s, St. Peter’s, Sydney Mines, Sydney River, Wagmatcook, and Whycocomagh.

The 2025 Celtic Colours International Festival runs October 10-18. The full schedule and line-up of artists will be announced during the last week of June with tickets going on sale July 8. For the full list of concert venues and the communities where they will take place, visit celticcolours.ca.