Tickets are now available for CelticFest 2023, to be held in Warwick, the Celtic Capital of Queensland, at the Warwick Showgrounds on Saturday September 30 and Sunday October 1, 2023. The highly-anticipated event, which last year attracted almost 5,000 attendees, will bring back favourites such as the highland games heavy events, The Gathering Irish band, the medieval village, pipe band and highland dancing displays, Irish dancing, Celtic-themed markets, Celtic animals, the gathering of the clans, Celtic-inspired bar and food – and much more.
CelticFest 2023 will run over two days, comprising a St Patrick’s Day themed evening of music on Saturday 30 September on the Celtic Connections stage at the Showgrounds, when The Gathering Irish band will headline a night of foot-stomping, rock-on Celtic music. Gates will open at 4pm and supporting acts and other program inclusions will be announced over the coming months. Sunday 1 October will then comprise a full-day of Celtic-themed celebrations at the Warwick Showgrounds, running from 9am-4pm.
This year, CelticFest will play host to the Highland Games Heavy Events national titles, and visitors will again be able to watch professional strongmen and women as they perform many feats of strength, including putting the stone, the farmer’s walk, and the perennially popular caber toss. The medieval village will be open for CelticFest attendees to stroll through, providing a window into a bygone era, including battles between knights of yore, graceful dancing displays of women through history, and the daily life of those who lived in feudal times. Visitors will also be able to watch displays from pipe bands and highland dancers, wander through Celtic-themed markets, marvel at the gloriously gentle Highland cows, trace their genealogy, and feast on Celtic-themed food and drink.
CelticFringe
In an exciting addition to the 2023 CelticFringe – CelticFest satellite events which are separately organized and/or ticketed, and which will run at various times and venues from Friday 29 September through Monday 2 October – the Scots PGC College will host the Inaugural Australian Juvenile Pipe Band Championships on Saturday September 30. More than 20 talented pipe bands from around Australia are expected to descend on Warwick to battle it out for pipe band supremacy.
Southern Downs residents and visitors will be able to see these bands in action during the Warwick Thistle Pipe Band Centenary Street Parade down Palmerin Street on Saturday morning. The street parade is also an added CelticFringe event for 2023, starting at 8.30am on Saturday 30 September. Medieval re-enactors, strongmen and women and others will join pipe bands – including the Warwick Thistle Pipe Band, which this year celebrates its centenary, and competitors in the IAJPBC – in what is sure to be a stirring spectacle to open the CelticFest weekend.
Other CelticFringe events will include the return of last year’s very popular Celtic line dancing workshop at the Club Warwick RSL, which will also host Celtic bands; the Southern Downs Explorer Heritage train, which will run tours on Friday night and Saturday lunch time, Celtic music and themed dinners at venues including local cafes and restaurants, and the opening of other historic local Celtic buildings including Pringle Cottage and Glengallan Homestead.
On a sporting note, the Queensland Gaelic Football and Hurling Association and the Warwick Redbacks AFL Club will co-host a Gaelic Football match, and Warwick parkrun will host a Celtic-themed parkrun on the banks of the Condamine River on Saturday 30 September – including a kilted dash! More CelticFringe events will be announced over the coming months. Earlybird pricing for CelticFest tickets for adults and pensioners are $15 for Saturday night, $20 for Sunday full day, and $30 for weekend (Saturday night and Sunday full day). Tickets for school-aged children (between 5-17) are $5 for Saturday night, $5 for Sunday full day, and $10 for the weekend (Saturday night and Sunday full day). Children under 5 are free. Earlybird pricing will be available until midnight Friday 30 June.
For more information, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram at CelticFest Warwick, or visit our webpage: www.celticfestqld.com.au.