Experience the Culture
National Celtic Folk Festival Showcase
Pako Festa - 24 Feb, 2024
Pako Festa is the one of the largest free celebration of cultural diversity in Australia!
Held on Pakington Street, Geelong West on 24th February 2024!
The National Celtic Festival will Showcase on the at The Geelong Arts Centre Stage within Adroit Chill Out Zone.
Get along to our showcase from 3.50-4.50pm - featuring the dynamic Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo plus special guests.
The Bellarine Sessions
It all begins with an idea!
The Bellarine Sessions was a series of concerts staged in unique settings across the Bellarine Peninsua. Locations will offering a new and fresh experiences and staging for live music.
By handpicking venues and careful programming across a diverse range of music genres, to suit each venue, we will created events offering both audiences and artists an experience that is intimate, with real heart and vibrancy. The Bellarine Sessions branded with a unique style captures the different look and feel of each location with overarching vibe/atmosphere of this travelling event.
Concerts were run across October & November, 2023 in partnership with local community.
Supporting Young Artists
Ailish Moran
Playing traditional Irish music since she was 4 years old, Ailish Moran, now 16, is travelling to Ireland to immerse herself in the trad music scene and attend a range of music schools across the country.
Recognising her talent and passion, Ailish has been accepted to compete in the All-Ireland fleadh in Mullingar. This is the first time an Australian has competed on concertina and the National Celtic Folk Festival is pleased to support Ailish in her adventure this year. We are all behind Ailish, but no more than her father, Jody who nurtured her interest as a youngest first teaching her tin whistle and then progressing to concertina.
Ceoltóirí Naarm
The Melbourne branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann was delighted to present a group of their young musicians at the 2023 National Celtic Festival, for the very first time.
This talented bunch, aged 11 to 18, travel from the city, suburbs and regional Victoria each Wednesday night to play Irish music, and to learn a few new tunes. At this year’s festival, they showcased a fantastic, vibrant selection of jigs, slides, hornpipes, reels & more. Bígí linn!
Portlarington
Portarlington is a historic coastal town located on the Bellarine Peninsula, about 30km from Geelong. Nestled on the northernmost tip of the Bellarine Peninsula, the seaside town features gorgeous panoramic views across Port Phillip Bay which includes a spectacular view of the You Yang's and on a clear day the Melbourne city skyline.A scenic drive is along The Esplanade which is a coastal route of around 10 km in length that runs alongside the foreshore between Portarlington and the nearby beach towns of Indented Head and St Leonards. There is also a walking or bicycling track along the same route if you are feeling energetic.