Does your usual trip downtown consist of grabbing a coffee and heading home?
The Corvallis Celtic Festival hopes to give everyone a reason to stay a little longer.
Returning for its fourth year, the four-day festival will take over downtown Corvallis July 16-19 with live music, dance, workshops, family-friendly activities and a raffle.
This year also marks the festival’s first time bringing every event downtown.
Second Street between Madison Avenue and Jefferson Avenue will close to traffic, making room for the main stage, vendors and beer garden.
Beyond the stage, music will spill into familiar spots such as Common Fields, Old World Deli, New Morning Bakery, Greenhouse Coffee + Plants, Treebeerd’s Taphouse and the Corvallis Benton-County Public Library. This is where performances, workshops, and open music sessions will take place throughout the weekend.
Katie Buglet, a member of the festival’s organizing committee who will also perform with the band Cucanandy said she’s especially excited about this year’s lineup.
“I am very excited about all of the different musicians that are gonna be here,” Buglet said. “We’ve got some very traditional Celtic bands to a Celtic punk rock band that’s going to be our headliner on Saturday night.”
Whether it’s your first time at a Celtic festival or you’re returning for another year, organizers encourage visitors to simply jump in and explore. For first-time attendees, Buglet’s advice is simple.
“I would honestly tell you to just try to go to something every day”, Buglet said. “I definitely would try to come on Saturday just because there is so much stuff going on.”
For community members like Buglet, the festival is more than just celebrating Celtic music, it is about bringing people together.
“There tends to not be a lot of stuff going on in the summer around here. . . it’s important to have these big outdoor community-building events just to create joy and community through art and music.”
Those who want to be a part of the festival can also volunteer with the setup, event logistics and raffle ticket sales throughout the weekend.
The fundraiser raffle features two locally donated instruments; a violin by Nancy Roan and a low D whistle donated by Carbony Celtic Winds. Raffle tickets are available before and during the festival, which proceeds supporting future events.
The Corvallis Celtic Festival is free to attend with a suggested donation of $5 – $30.
Whether visitors stop by for an afternoon or spend all four days exploring downtown, the planning committee hopes they will leave with something new.
For for information, visit https://www.corvalliscelticfestival.org/
