Celtic Colours
Experience Our Festival!
 |
ArtistsClose to 350 artists from Cape Breton Island, Canada, the United States, Ireland and Scotland will perform in 2011. We're excited to showcase past Grammy winners and international legends alongside our own homegrown heroes and the stars of tomorrow. |
 |
Shows45 shows will be held in 33 communities that have have nurtured the culture for over 200 years at a time when the fall leaves are at their most brilliant and traveling around the Island offers one breathtaking view after another. |
 |
Learning OpportunitiesA variety of workshops, presentations, demonstrations, lectures, and storytelling events based on Celtic cultural history, artistry, or community heritage. |
 |
Visual Art SeriesExhibits, demonstrations, workshops, and plein air “paint outs” celebrate the prevalent visual art and heritage craft sector of Cape Breton Island – the painting we live in. |
|
|
Participatory EventsBring your guitar or fiddle, engage your voice, swing your partner – these events are geared for your inclusion, giving you an opportunity to immerse yourself in the action. |
|
|
Community MealsThe community meal is an opportunity for visitors and locals to break bread together, nourishing in more ways than you might think. |
|
|
Outdoor EventsGuided Hikes, walks, or bicycle tour – these events give the outdoor enthusiast an opportunity to enjoy our spectacular scenery. |
A banner year for Celtic Colours
By all accounts, 2011 was a banner year for the Celtic Colours International Festival. In addition to celebrating its 15th year, the Festival's ongoing success was evident both in the numbers it generated and in the recognition it received locally and nationally.
The Cape Breton Island-wide event partnered with 130 non-profit organizations and venues to present more than 300 performers in 45 concerts and 298 Community Cultural Experience events. The Celtic Colours in the Schools program was presented to 4,302 students in 22 schools throughout Cape Breton and more than 2,000 volunteers contributed almost 27,000 hours toward making the event a success.
Held in 76 communities throughout all four counties, the Festival attracted visitors from 50 US states, all Canadian provinces and territories, and 19 other countries. A total of 18,323 tickets were sold, and more than 12,000 people attended Community Cultural Experience events. An additional 6,649 people from all over the world tuned in to the Festival as nine concerts were streamed live online—one each day. With the increase in ticket sales and about half of the audience coming from off-island (55%), audience expenditure increased from $6.2 million in 2010 to $8.1 million in 2011 with more than $7 million directly attributable to Celtic Colours.
More national acclaim for Celtic Colours
In the midst of its fifteenth successful annual event, the Celtic Colours International Festival received honours from two national sources.
Since its 1997 debut, Celtic Colours has established itself as one of Canada's premiere musical events, and a cultural highlight of Nova Scotia's tourism season, with a reputation for excellence that is known around the world. The combination of top-notch talent—both local and international—with spectacular scenery is a winning one. Through Celtic Colours, Cape Breton during October has become more than just a destination, it's a tourism experience waiting to happen.
Celtic Colours wins top National Cultural Tourism Award
(Sydney, NS) - The Tourism Industry Association of Canada announced last night the winners for the 2011 Canadian Tourism Awards. Forty-three finalists were nominated in 14 award categories. Among the finalists were individuals and organizations from all ten provinces as well as Canada's North.
Celtic Colours International Festival was named the winner of the National Cultural Tourism Award. This is only the second year that Cultural Tourism has been added to the TIAC awards and Celtic Colours was a finalist in both 2010 and 2011. Celtic Colours received the TIAC award for Event of the Year in 2007.
"It is a great honour to be recognized on a national level," said Artistic Director Joella Foulds. "It is a testament to the attraction people have to our unique culture. Our focus has always been to present an authentic cultural experience within a world-class framework."
Celtic Colours: The Next Generation
Celtic Colours: The Next Generation showcase at the Savoy Theatre, September 5 at 2pm
The Celtic Colours International Festival's mandate is "to celebrate and sustain our living Celtic culture" -- the festival itself is the celebration, and the sustainability is nourished through ongoing work with various cultural organizations. One avenue of this work involves developing initiatives for Youth. Celtic Colours recognizes that in order to sustain the culture, it must thrive through the generations.
On Monday, September 5th at 2pm, young musicians and dancers will take the stage during a free daytime event at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay. Celtic Colours: The Next Generation, presented by Celtic Colours in partnership with the Savoy Theatre and the Cape Breton Post, will provide a taste of talent from the next generation of culture bearers, and some insight into Celtic Colours' youth initiatives.
