About Us

CelticFest Vancouver is a non-profit Society registered in British Columbia since 2004.

The Society’s mission is to:
Bring together the local community in an annual festival celebration of Celtic Culture and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Deliver education on global Celtic heritage, art and cultural traditions.
Promote and showcase local and international Celtic music, dance, spoken word, theatre, film, art, crafts, food/beverage and Highland sports.

The Festival

CelticFest Vancouver is Western Canada’s biggest annual Celtic festival. CelticFest is a rich cultural celebration of the seven Celtic nations’ kinship and community.The festival showcases the best of Celtic music, dance, spoken word as well as film, food and fare and the much-anticipated St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Founded in 2004, the cornerstones of CelticFest Vancouver are community, diversity, family and civic pride. CelticFest draws its artistic direction from some 5,000 years of Celtic history and culture. This young, vibrant event has quickly, and firmly, established itself as an annual springtime tradition in downtown Vancouver.

Since inception, CelticFest’s attendance has significantly grown year over year, drawing 250,000+ in 2008. With 99 stories about CelticFest resulting in over 8.2 million impressions, media coverage of the event has also increased dramatically.

In 2008, more than 2,000 people marched in the 5th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The five-day festival also featured 60 performances and events – 70% of them free – staged by 150 volunteers and supported by 50 generous businesses and organizations as well as all three levels of Government.