A local celebration of Celtic culture is coming back to Bethlehem next weekend.
In a Monday release, the Celtic Cultural Alliance presented an overview of the 36th annual Celtic Classic Highland Games & Festival, which will run from Sept. 22-24 in Bethlehem’s historic downtown.
The festival will feature five stages of local, domestic, and international Celtic entertainers, ranging from traditional music to Celtic Rock and fusion tunes.
Newcomers to this year’s lineup include Mec Lir (Isle of Man), On the Lash (Ireland), Heron Valley (Scotland) and Jiggernaut (Texas). The CCA also said the band Tempest will be returning with their mix of high-energy folk rock, Irish reels, Scottish ballads, and Norwegian influences.
They will join local performers like Craig Thatcher, Nyke Van Wyck, Piper’s Request and Blackwater, among others.
The festival will kick off on Sept. 22 with the Haggis Bowl 2023 starting at 5:30 p.m., where competitors will see who can eat a pound of haggis the fastest.
The next day will also see the Showing of the Tartan Parade, which steps off at 11:30 a.m. from Bethlehem City Hall, and is described by the CCA as being one of the largest ever.
It will include nine competing pipe bands, the U.S. Naval Academy Pipe Band, Scottish clans, and the Freedom and Liberty High School marching bands.
A pipe competition will also take place for grades 3-4 that Saturday and Sunday.
The festival will also see the U.S. National Highland Games Championship come to Bethlehem for its 19th year, where athletes will compete in events such as lifting heavy stones, hammer throws, and the caber toss. Last year’s champion, John Van Beuren, will be defending his title.
The three-day event will also include a variety of food options, vendors, and cultural activities.
These include historical and genealogical information-sharing by 15 Scottish clans, lectures on keening and Welsh miners and engineers in Pennsylvania, and an interactive Irish dance demonstration.
The full performance schedule for the 2023 Celtic Classic is below.
Friday, September 22
Highland Field
4:00 PM VIP & Sponsor Reception
5:15 PM Haggis Bowl 2023
5:30 PM Challenge Caber
6:30 PM Wayside Farm Border Collies
Grand Pavilion
4:30 PM Faoilean
6:00 PM Jiggernaut
7:30 PM Cassie & Maggie MacDonald
9:00 PM Glengarry Bhoys
Tavern in the Glen
4:30 PM Piper’s Request
6:00 PM Killen Clark
7:15 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
8:30 PM The McKrells
Ice House
5:00 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
6:15 PM Craig Thatcher & Nyke Van Wyk
7:30 PM Gerry Timlin
9:00 PM Blackwater
Celtic Cross Intersection
6:45 PM Celtic United Pipe Band performance
Saturday, September 23
Highland Field
10:00 AM 22lb Hammer
11:00 AM 24lb Braemar Stone
11:30 AM Showing of the Tartan Parade (*Update 9/22/23: Cancelled due to weather)
12:00 PM Opening Ceremonies
12:45 PM 56lb Weight for Distance
1:30 PM Sheaf Toss
2:30 PM Drum Major Competition
3:30 PM Caber Toss
5:30 PM Massed Bands
5:45 PM Grade 4 Pipe Band Awards
6:30 PM Border Collie Demo
Grand Pavilion
12:30 PM Dave North Trio
2:00 PM Jiggernaut
3:30 PM Kilmaine Saints
5:00 PM Cassie & Maggie MacDonald
6:30 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
7:30 PM Glengarry Bhoys
9:00 PM Tempest
Tavern in the Glen
12:45 PM The McKrells
2:15 PM Cassie & Maggie MacDonald
3:45 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
4:30 PM Tempest
6:00 PM Jiggernaut
7:30 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
8:30 PM Kilmaine Saints
Ice House
9:00 AM Youth Fiddle Competition
1:30 PM On the Lash
3:00 PM Glengarry Bhoys
4:30 PM Blackwater
6:00 PM Gerry Timlin
7:15 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
8:15 PM The McKrells
Piping Grove
1:30 PM Grade 4 Pipe Band Competition
Celtic River Stage
12:30 PM Heron Valley
2:00 PM Gerry Timlin
3:30 PM Dave North Trio
5:00 PM Mec Lir
6:30 PM On the Lash
8:00 PM Killen Clark
Celtic Heritage Hollow
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Children’s Activity Tent
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Robert Mouland – Irish Marionettes
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Clans & Societies
10:00 AM Baking Contest Check In
10:30 PM Irish Soda Bread Contest
12:00 PM Dragon Power – Welsh Miners & Engineers in 19th century PA
Lecture by Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
1:00 PM Highland Wear Q&A w/ USA Kilts
2:00 PM Irish dance demonstration – O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
3:00 PM Freedom High School Celtic Ensemble
4:00 PM Celtic Story Telling
Sunday, September 24
Highland Field
10:00 AM 16lb Hammer Throw
11:00 AM Open Stone
11:45 AM 28lb Weight for Distance
12:45 AM Athletes lunch
1:15 PM 56lb weight for height
2:45 PM Caber Challenge
3:15PM Kid’s Highland Games
4:00 PM Athletic Awards
4:15 PM Scholarships / Awards presentation
4:45 PM Massed Bands
5:00 PM Grade 3 Band Awards
5:30 PM Wayside Farm Border Collies
Grand Pavilion
11:00 AM Heron Valley
12:30 PM On the Lash
2:00 PM Tempest
3:30 PM Glengarry Bhoys
5:00 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
6:00 PM Kilmaine Saints
Tavern in the Glen
11:00 AM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
12:15 PM Blackwater
1:45 PM Mec Lir
3:15 PM O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
4:15 PM Killen Clark
5:45 PM Mec Lir
Ice House
10:00 AM Ecumenical Service
12:00 PM Glengarry Bhoys
1:30 PM Craig Thatcher & Nyke Van Wyk
3:00 PM Gerry Timlin
4:30 PM Blackwater
Piping Grove
12:00 PM Grade 3 Pipe Band Competition
Celtic River Stage
12:30 PM Piper’s Request
2:00 PM Dave North Trio
3:30 PM Heron Valley
Celtic Heritage Hollow
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Children’s Activity Tent
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Robert Mouland – Irish Marionettes
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Clans & Societies
10:00 AM Youth Fiddle Workshop
11:30 AM Celtic Poetry Competition
12:30 PM Irish dance demonstration – O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
1:30 PM Celtic Story Telling
2:30 PM Traditional Irish Keening w/ Annie Wilson
3:15 PM Kid’s Highland Games (on Field)
More information on the Celtic Classic is available online.
According to the Celtic Cultural Alliance, the Celtic Classic welcomes over 200,000 visitors annually to Historic Bethlehem. The first edition of the free festival was presented on Columbus Day weekend in 1988.
(Original air-date: 9/12/23)
