Corvallis will be welcoming its first ever Celtic Festival at the end of the week, from July 20 to 23. The event will consist of various concerts and activities for the people of Corvallis to immerse themselves in and celebrate the Celtic culture. 

Beth Brown, the director of the upcoming festivities, says that the Corvallis Celtic Festival has been in the works for quite some time now. 

“We have been working on it since January,” Brown said. 

The event is very much music-oriented, and there will be three different stages in Central Park to showcase the wide variety of Celtic musicians. 

“This is the inaugural year, and we have a fairly robust Celtic music community in Corvallis,” said Brown. 

To commence the weekend-long jubilation, on Thursday, there will be a free concert at Common Fields at 5:30 p.m. featuring the local Celtic trio, Fionnghal, as well as  a set from the Corvallis Celtic band, The Nettles. 

On Friday, the Gothard Sisters will be performing a fundraising concert at the First Methodist Church at 7 p.m. that costs $25 at the door. This will be a chance to not only catch some live music on a hot summer night, but to also prepare for the day-long merriment that is to come. 

Saturday will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a bagpiper’s parade, then there will be an assemblage of Celtic performers and artists in Central Park, the Corvallis Library, and the Corvallis Arts Center. 

There will be plenty of music, workshops, crafts, and more as the day continues. The Corvallis Arts Center will become a Celtic harp space from noon to 5 p.m. with performances by Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter.

As the day winds down, there will be Celtic sessions with Portland band Biddy and the Bench at Squirrel’s Tavern in downtown Corvallis. This event is from 9 p.m. to midnight for those 21 and over. 

Sunday provides even more free music performances that will start at 10 a.m. at the Old World Deli, as well as a Celtic session from 2 to 4 p.m. There will also be a Celtic session from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Common Fields, and Brass Monkey will have live music from 4 to 6 p.m. Brass Monkey will also offer $25 whiskey tasting at the start of the performance. 

There will be copious amounts of Celtic entertainment, as well as cultural activities to observe or take part in.