KVMR Celtic Festival & Marketplace: Music, Magic & Medieval Jousting

THE 21ST ANNUAL KVMR CELTIC FESTIVAL & MARKETPLACE mixes Celtic music and magic Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, set on 100 acres among giant ponderosa pines. There are eight stages and performance areas.

The Nevada County Fairgrounds are transformed into a Celtic village and concert venue featuring world-famous musicians performing on the main stage.

Musical headliners for this year include seven-piece Scottish band Skerryvore, Nova Scotian sister duo Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, Celtic power trio Story Road, veterans John Whelan & Low Lily, Irish sister quarter Screaming Orphans, as well as local favorites Pete Grant & Kelly Fleming, 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.

Friday afternoon hosts the free Youth Arts program. The evening Royal Tournament & Gathering of the Clans includes pageantry and jousting, along with the Friday night Ceilidh—a Celtic party with music, dancing and revelry under the stars.

Musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and join jam sessions and work- shops throughout the weekend. History buffs can explore several encampments of “guilds,” which 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, storytelling and romping on straw bales. The 2017 KVMR Celtic Festival is hosted in cooperation with BriarPatch.

The Bridge Street Project
KVMR 89.5 Community Radio and the Nevada Theatre Commission, assisted by the community at large, collaborated to build an 8,000 sq.-ft. building behind the historic theater at the corner of Bridge and Spring streets in Nevada City. It also is helping to create an Arts District in the neighborhood. For more information or to make a donation, visit BridgeStreetProject.org.

(Photo: Mike Shea)