The International Festival of the Celtic World
Celebrating Celtic, Folk and Traditional music and dance on the stunning Ria de Ortigueira in northwest Galicia.
I think I’ve worked out why so many Brits head to Spain every summer for their holidays.
They’re responding to the ancestral whispers that beckon them home.
Because it turns out the majority of Britons (a whopping 64% of English, 73% of Scottish and 83% of Welsh) are descendants of Celtic tribes that travelled from Galicia in northwest Spain, across the Channel some 6000 years ago.
According to Brian Sykes, a professor at Oxford University, the Osin tribe consisted of Iberian fishermen who mixed with the few thousand or so indigenous inhabitants of Britain at the time. Their genes became the most dominant, followed by those of the Woda Vikings from Denmark who found their way to the Isles in the 9th century.
Today, many people, especially in Scotland, Wales and Ireland wear their badge of Celtic ethnicity with pride, as they do in Galicia. In fact, so much so, the Galicians celebrate their history with several Celtic fiestas, including one of the most important Celtic music festivals in the world – the International Festival of the Celtic World, held every second week in July.
In 2023, the festival takes place between the 9-16 of July and is a free outdoor event that attracts thousands of artists and fans of all things Celtic from all over the world. Well-known and up-coming musicians make their way to Ortigueira to participate in concerts of Celtic, Folk and traditional music styles, as well as Irish, Galician and Asturian folk dancing. There are also dance workshops, street bands and performers, photo exhibitions, and craft markets selling artisanal products of woodwork, metalwork, and textiles.
Ortigueira is a small fishing town near the top northernmost part of Spain. The village sits on the banks of the Ria de Ortigueira e Ladrido that opens out into the Cantabrian Sea. The dramatic unspoiled coastline of the Rias Altas (high estuaries) is known for its unpredictable weather and high winds and draws fewer tourists than its sister estuaries, the Rias Baixas (lower estuaries) further south.
The coast is also nicknamed ‘The Shellfish Coast” for its outstanding seafood such as octopus, mussels, razor clams, sea scallops, lobsters, and the prized barnacles that are plucked dangerously from the wave-beaten rocky cliffs.
With just 5420 inhabitants, the town undergoes a major transformation every summer as it manages to absorb 100,000 visitors into its streets and beaches. The main stage, the Alameda Stage, is set up by the sea on the marina esplanade, flanked by two large screens. This is the best place to see the headlining bands, while the smaller Runas stage is where to go for emerging artists.
The festival gives new bands and musicians a chance to showcase their music to Celtic aficionados who come to listen to the bagpipes, lutes, flutes, and tambourines, percussion instruments, accordions and, of course the fiddlers who get your toes tapping and head nodding to the frenzied rhythms. Bagpipe players work their instruments with skill and dexterity and the enthusiastic passion of rock stars.
If you haven’t booked accommodation in one of the several hotels, casa rurales, or holiday rentals, there is the option of setting up a tent near Morouzos Beach between the pine forest and the sea. But be warned – the party continues long into the night after the concerts have finished.
For the full program and more information on the festival, such as the transport and other facilities available, check out their website.
The International Festival of the Celtic World is not the only place you can enjoy the Celtic vibe in Galicia during the month of July. The Celtic/Medieval Festival of Noia, further south, sees shop fronts and locals dressed in Celtic regalia, market stalls, comic plays, falconry, and of course plenty of Celtic music to put you in the mood. And in Moaña, on the banks of the Ria de Vigo, visitors can soak up the beaches and local seafood during the Interceltic Festival of Morrazo organised at the end of July.
You don’t need many excuses to spend time on the rias of Galicia when you have 1660km of amazing coastline, food, wines, and coffee liqueurs on offer.
This July, follow the call of the ancestral drums and re-join your Celtic tribe.