13th annual Celtic Festival in Ormond Beach to feature The Piper Jones Band

Ormond Beach Observer
Your Town

Join Ormond Beach MainStreet for a Spring Fling with a Highland flair, as the 13th annual Ormond Beach Celtic Festival returns to Rockefeller Gardens and Fortunato Park.

Clans, pipers, and nationally sanctioned highland games athletes will gather on April 20 and 21 for two days of folk music, food and fun from the seven Celtic Nations and beyond.

The festival occupies two Beachside Ormond parks along the Halifax River and fills them with five music stages, Highland Games, clans and Celtic societies from throughout the region as well as a host of other activities. The weekend attracts more than 10,000 locals and visitors each year. Advance tickets are $12 each day for adults or $15 at the gate. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets are available online at bit.ly/buyticketsoms. There is plenty of free parking, including free off-site parking with a free shuttle service to allow everyone access to the Festival activities.

Among the 25 musical performers are The Piper Jones Band and two Celtic dance troupes, The Daytona Pipes and Drum and the city of Mt. Dora Pipers will lead daily parades by all the attending Clans and fill the air with the sound of bagpipes.

The festival also features a newly expanded Kid’s Zone, with a bouncy castle a bounce obstacle course, face painting and glitter tattoos, a Pop Up Ponies & Petting Pals zoo area, putt putt and more.

The annual dog parade will take place on Sunday. All breeds are welcome! Just bring a donation or food for Halifax Humane Society and your dog will be entered in the parade. Register with our parade sponsor, NautiPets, or at the New World Celts booth in the Clan Village.

The Highland Games are sanctioned by the North American Scottish Games Athletics organization, so its competitors rack up points toward the ultimate goal of competing in Scotland. Male and female athletes from around the region are expected to attend the Games and demonstrate their strength by throwing the caber, the hammer or the stone put, both Saturday and Sunday.