CelticFest Vancouver

The festival itself doesn’t span more than 3 blocks at the most and outside the large corporate tents, I am in it for the small treats. I find that the authentic Irish booths get slimmer with years pass and the corporate booths taking over. I used to make my way out to this, however, they need to refocus the festival a bit more.

What would St. Patrick’s Day be without some Celtic music? They set up a music stage outside the Vancouver Art Gallery (Oy, I just can’t bring myself to call it the VAG as many do).
Although it was raining, there was still a lively crowd enjoying the sounds of the North Shore Celtic Ensemble when I visited today. They performed original Celtic folk music with mostly string instruments, a bit of percussion and a few wind instruments. They are a really lively bunch, that jumped down into the audience to get everyone dancing in the rain. Quite a blast!
One of the things I continue to love about Vancouver is that such a wide variety of people were in the audience — quite the cultural and economic mix, all coming together and enjoying some wonderful music in the rain. Ah, the joys of Vancouver!
There are a ton of venues around town tonight and tomorrow still to continue the celebration. (Thankfully some are even indoors!)