Ortigueira International Celtic Festival

The Festival Internacional do Mundo Celta turns Ortigueira into a major meeting point for folk music and Atlantic-rooted cultures. Free concerts, pipe bands, learning activities, family events and street music fill the town and connect the festival with the estuary and Morouzos beach.

Usual date

The gathering is normally held over the second weekend in July. Its format can extend over several days, combining preliminary and parallel activities with the main concert nights and Sunday's Celtic Nations parade.

View the Ortigueira Festival 2026 programme.

Where it is held

The Estrella Galicia stage beside the harbour hosts the headline concerts. Plaza de Isabel II, Teatro de Beneficencia, Vila Celta, IES de Ortigueira, the library and the town-centre streets accommodate the opening ceremony, travelling performances, workshops and children's activities. Morouzos beach serves as a rest area when the organisers designate it for that purpose.

Origin and history

The festival began in 1978 through an initiative by the Escola de Gaitas de Ortigueira, then led by Xavier Garrote, with support from the town. After a break lasting more than five years, Ortigueira Town Council revived it in 1995 and expanded its parallel programme.

From 2000, the organisation and services became more professional and the musical scope widened beyond a strictly Celtic interpretation. It received National Tourist Interest status in 2003 and was declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2005.

Music, streets and participation

  • Concerts by Galician, Spanish and international folk and roots-music groups.
  • Festival na Rúa, with bands and ensembles moving through streets, squares and the Alameda.
  • The Celtic Nations Pipe Bands Parade, one of the gathering's most recognisable events.
  • The Runas competition for emerging groups and the presence of the Escola de Gaitas de Ortigueira.
  • Vila Celta, workshops, exhibitions, crafts and Pequefestival activities for families.

A free and open festival

Free concerts, established during the festival's first period, and the use of public spaces encourage broad participation. The municipal organisers combine the artistic programme with transport, parking, information, services and environmental guidance for residents and visitors.

Sources

Today's international trade fair

You can also find information about international trade fairs and discover today's featured trade fair at FeriasHoy.com.