The Elders
The 19th annual KVMR Celtic Festival and Marketplace mixes Celtic music and magic October 2, 3 & 4 in Grass Valley, California at the Nevada County Fairgrounds, a bucolic setting on 100 acres among giant ponderosa pines . There are eight stages and performance areas. Our main stage hosts many of the best Celtic musicians on the world stage. The Nevada County Fairgrounds is transformed into a Celtic Village and headline concert venue. World-famous Celtic musicians perform on our main stage to. Main Stage musical headliners for this year include Galician piper Carlos Nuñez, Irish squeeze box master Sharon Shannon, Irish sister quartet Screaming Orphans, Boston fiddler Hanneke Cassel, Irish singer/songwriters Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, Celtic rockers Dàimh, California duo Paul Kamm & Eleanore MacDonald, Sacramento’s own One Eyed Reilly and many more. Shopping and dining opportunities abound with over 50 vendors and a complete Irish Pub. Hundreds of regional performers, singers, bagpipers, actors, jugglers and storytellers roam the fairgrounds. We will again be offering our Free Friday Youth Arts Program, giving local students ages 10-18 the opportunity to participate in workshops with headline performers.
Also returning will be the Friday night Ceilidh – a Celtic party with music, dancing and revelry under the stars. Musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and join in with jam sessions and workshops scheduled throughout the weekend. History buffs can explore several encampments of “Guilds” who re-create points and places in time. Exciting and educational, the Celtic Animals exhibit houses falcons, eagles, hawks, owls, sheep and ponies. Revelers make music into the night in the campgrounds complete with tall trees and a lake. Camping and RV hookups are available on-site. Amateur and professional athletes test their strength and skill in Scottish Games. Children are kept engaged with arts and crafts, story telling, and romping on the straw bales.
