The 2021 Celtic Classic highland games & festival is set for Friday-Sunday, September 24-26 in downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance, the free annual event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage and will feature five stages of continuous entertainment – including traditional Celtic music, Celtic rock and folk.
Billed as the largest free Celtic festival in North America, the Celtic Classic has drawn nearly 300,000 people in past years. Now in its 34th year, the festival did not take place in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Celtic Cultural Alliance is adhering to all federal and state guidelines with respect to the pandemic this year. Festival hours are 4-10 p.m. EST on Sept 24, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sept. 25, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 26.
Artists slated to perform include Barleyjuice, Blackwater, Celtic Aire (the U.S. Air Force’s Celtic band), Chambless & Muse, Chivalrous Crickets, Emish, Fig for a Kiss, House of Hamill, Seamus Kennedy, Kennedy’s Kitchen, Kilmaine Saints, Moxie Strings, Rogue Diplomats, RUNA, and Gerry Timlin.
Other musical attractions during the weekend include pipe band, fiddle and drum major competitions. Irish dancers from the O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance also will take part in the festivities.
North America’s largest highland games take place during the Celtic Classic for the 14th time. The U.S. National Highland Athletic Championships feature events that trace their origins back to medieval Scotland; these include the lifting of heavy stone, throwing 16 and 22-pound hammers, and sheaf and caber tossing. Border collie exhibitions, The Showing of the Tartan parade; a Haggis Bowl (in which whoever eats one pound of Scotland’s national dish wins); a Celtic Heritage Hollow featuring children’s activities, Celtic societies and clans tents, blacksmith demonstrations, and cultural competitions; and a Celtic marketplace featuring crafts, merchandise and collectibles also are on tap.
More information on one of the most popular events in northeastern Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, including daily schedules, may be found at celticfest.org.
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