The Cincinnati Celtic Festival returns this weekend after a year hiatus with an excellent lineup of five international acts, more than two dozen local and regional performers and at a new venue - the central riverfront. Event organizers canceled last year's festival, worrying that it was too close on the calendar to the Tall Stacks Music Festival. "You can't compete with that gorilla," said Joann Buck, festival director.
"And we were refiguring a venue switch. For the first time, the 15th Cincinnati Celtic Festival will take place at Yeatman's Cove along the Serpentine Wall. The festival began as almost a neighborhood party of Celtic music lovers in Mount Lookout's Ault Park in 1992 and instantly surprised organizers when 3,000 people showed up.
It soon outgrew that venue and moved to Coney Island by 1999, drawing close to 20,000 over the two-day event. With a cool weather forecast, a rich diverse lineup, and the riverfront setting, organizers are hoping for 30,000 fans this year. With a new setting comes some new twists in the musical lineup with acclaimed contemporary Celtic group the Prodigals the Saturday night headliner.
"We've always been very traditional," Buck said. "This year we are mixing it up. The Prodigals are Irish by way of New York.
They bring that jig-punk approach to Irish music." Indeed, the Prodigals have been one of the more exciting innovators on the Celtic scene since their debut in 1997, with accordion the lead instrument and even a touch of punk sensibilities in their driving bass and drum rhythm section. The traditional is still there with Celtic supergroup Lunasa closing out the festival Sunday.
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