2020 Celtic Classic Highland Games And Festival Cancelled

Press release from the City of Bethlehem:

August 3, 2020

The 2020 Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival that has been scheduled for September will not occur due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jayne Ann Recker, Executive Director of Celtic Cultural Alliance, announced the decision by the Board of Directors. “Although we have been cautiously preparing for the 2020 Celtic Classic, keeping our volunteers, the thousands of patrons who are local and out of state, our performers, and our community safe and healthy was the first priority in our decision making during these unprecedented times,” said Recker. “Meanwhile, we strongly feel it is important to keep our Celtic connections and promote the Celtic culture throughout the year, so we are continuing to plan cultural programs and events on a smaller scale that follow the local and state guidelines and health and safety regulations.”

The Celtic Classic, known as the largest free Celtic festival in North America, hosts the U.S. National Highland Games Championship, world class performers, grade 3 and grade 4 pipe band competitions and more.

In addition to Celtic Classic, the Celtic Cultural Alliance supports year-round cultural programming and outreach events to support the mission of promoting and preserving the Celtic culture through arts, music, and literature, dance, and history programs.

In keeping with the spirit of the next generation, the CCA annually offers scholarships to promising young students of the Celtic Arts. The winners of the 2020 scholarships will be announced in September.

“Our staff, volunteers, performers, and athletes are working diligently for our Celtic Comeback 2021 on September 24th, 25th, and 26th, and we encourage our patrons to follow us on social media and our website, www.celticfest.org, to keep themselves updated on our events throughout the year,” Recker said.

This press release was produced by the City of Bethlehem. The views expressed here are the author’s own.