The music and ancestry of the Celtic people of Scotland and Ireland are historic, with beginnings in our very own city which was founded in 1565 by Spanish Celts. The St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival, which was was first produced in 2011, is a way for the community to celebrate that heritage.Since its beginning, the festival has grown in popularity and has won multiple awards for best music festival and best food festival in St. Johns County and the Jacksonville area.
The festival will return this year starting on Friday, March 11th with a Whiskey Tasting from 7pm until 9pm, and on Saturday March 12th until March 13th with events, food, and activities from 10am until 10pm at Francis Field. The centuries of Celtic heritage will be highlighted during the Festival’s Highland Games with athletes demonstrating and testing their strength and endurance, and Celtic Clans displaying their ancestral pride. Vendors will offer Celtic cuisine and additional food and beverages, handmade and imported Celtic crafts, workshops, lectures, and more. Top touring bands from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and around the U.S. will play traditional songs and Celtic rock throughout the two-day festival.
A special highlight of the festival weekend includes the only St. Patrick’s Parade in Northeast Florida on Saturday, March 12th at 10am. Notably, in 1601, St. Augustine’s first Irish vicar, Father Thomas Hassett led the initial historically documented local St. Patrick procession recorded in the world.
www.celticstaugustine.com
