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Welcome to the 8th Annual CelticFest Vancouver

A wonderful time was had by all!

Thank you all so much for helping to make this year's festival such a huge success!

From Celts on the Creek on March 10 to the sold-out Whisky Kiss, from the music pouring out of downtown Vancouver pubs to the return of Delhi 2 Dublin, the thrill of the parade and the sheer fun of the Celtic Village - we've had a CelticFest for the record books.

The festival wouldn't have happened without the amazing support of local businesses and organizations, our funders, participants, stellar performers and, above all, the thousands of folks like you who came down to listen, taste, discover, hang out - and celebrate! The energy, the passion, the simple and powerful goodwill made it all very special.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to our sponsors and partners, and the people who work for them, for their assistance and passionate enthusiasm for the festival.

We had a fabulous time, and hope you did too!

Good for Grapes

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Wasn't that a time!

Here's just a few of the many festival highlights:

Our first-ever Celts on the Creek at the Village on False Creek, March 10 was a huge success!

Delhi 2 Dublin brought St. Patrick's Day to an exhilarating conclusion at The BIG St. Pat's Night Out! at the Vogue. From the night's first note, few in the nearly sold out  crowd could stay in their seats for this band that is so near and dear to CelticFest hearts. Opening act, Luxembourg's Dream Catcher, made more than a few new Vancouver fans with their lively performance. It was a night to remember!

Delhi 2 Dublin rockin' with the fans

The noon hour concerts at Pacific Centre's Plaza Stage drew crowds of happy swayers and dancers.

Ivonne Hernandez (with Jeremy Walsh) wowed us with some fancy fiddling at her lunch time concert.

Texas to Tipperary was a brilliant night of musical camaraderie, full of both tender and rollicking moments and music that dug deep into the tradition, yet felt totally brand new. The extraordinary assemblage of artists on stage gave us all a night to remember.

The San Patricios Concert proved again that CelticFest knows how to bring musical cultures together to create a potent fusion. The wail of mariachi horns together with Kalissa's flaming fiddle-playing transported the audience on an eclectic journey from Galway to Guadalajara. The atmosphere was electrifying, the musicians and crowd were totally hopping, Only at CelticFest! Brilliant.

At the San Patricios Concert

The Celtic Village drew thousands of happy revelers and music lovers to Granville Street - kids, families, shoppers, strollers, workshop-goers - everyone had a great time. We have no idea how many photos people took, of or with, The Unipiper, King Henry the VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon or the gentle, giant Irish wolfhounds, but we're sure a lot of photo albums will be filled.

The St. Patrick's Day Parade was a joyous, fun, often downright silly and wonderful event yet again, blessed with a lucky break in the weather and tuneful, energetic & talented paraders. Parade-goers gave us a show of their own, as clearly thousands of clothes-closets were ransacked for parade-appropriate garb. St. Paddy would have been proud!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Face-painted fun

Great Celtic music and dance flowed along with libations all week at the CelticFest venues, Doolin's Irish Pub, The Cellar, Ceili's Irish Pub & Restaurant and Johnnie Fox's Irish Snug.

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A great time was had by all at CelticFest 2012!
See you next year for the
9th Annual CelticFest Vancouver, March 9 - 17!

A heartfelt thanks to our generous sponsors & funders, all the brilliant artists, our remarkable team of 100+ volunteers, our festival staff and board and to YOU - the fans - for helping to make this year's festival such a huge success!

The Gothard Sisters at Celts on the Creek