The annual United Irish of Dayton Celtic Festival – one of Dayton’s largest and most popular outdoor festivals – returns July 26-28. A downtown Dayton tradition since 2002, this free festival attracts more than 90,000 attendees to RiverScape MetroPark.

Saturate your senses in the sights, sounds and tastes of Celtic heritage, as you delight in the enchanting melodies of traditional Celtic music, witness captivating dance performances, and savor authentic culinary delights. The 2024 festival features six headliner bands and several regional performers on various stages of continuous entertainment, in addition to cultural exhibits and food and merchandise vendors.

The Dayton Celtic Festival also serves as the unofficial kick-off to the late summer/early fall festival season in Dayton – but more on that shortly! First, here’s a brief look at this year’s festivities.

 

The Experience

Dayton Celtic Festival Parade of Kilts

Rated one of the top festivals in Dayton, the Celtic Festival boasts three solid days of non-stop entertainment.  In addition to three stages with continuous live entertainment, the festival experience includes a 5K/10K run/walk, Whiskey Tastings, Cultural Exhibits and Demonstrations, a Sunday Celtic Mass, a Celtic Marketplace featuring over 40 vendors with unique items from the Celtic nations, numerous food vendors offering tastes from around the world, and extensive selection of beers to enjoy.

The Entertainment

Music at the Dayton Celtic Festival

Music is one of the festival’s biggest draws – and the 204 musical lineup features several prominent headliners, as well as 20+ regional Celtic acts.

This year’s headlining bands will perform multiple sets throughout the weekend:

  • Gaelic Storm (Friday at 9:30 p.m., Saturday at 9:30 p.m., Sunday at 4:20 p.m.)
  • The Fitzgeralds (Friday at 10 p.m., Saturday at 3 & 5:30 p.m., Sunday at 3:10 p.m.)
  • JigJam (Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 & 7:40 p.m., Sunday at 12 p.m.)
  • Socks in the Frying Pan (Friday at 7:40 p.m., Saturday at 6 & 9:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:10 p.m.)
  • Davy Holt (Friday at 7:20 p.m., Saturday at 12 & 3:30 p.m., Sunday at 1:40 p.m.)
  • The Drowsy Lads (Friday at 8:40 p.m., Saturday at 4:30 & 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 4:40 p.m.)

Other regional and local acts scheduled to perform at the Dayton Celtic Festival include Dulahan, Dogwood Road, Father Son and Friends, Jameson’s Folly, Miami Valley Pipes and Drums, Celtic Academy of Irish Dance, Dwyer Irish Dance, and McGovern Irish Dance. Performance times for all of these acts can be found at the entertainment section of the festival website.

How to Go to the Dayton Celtic Festival

Dayton Celtic Festival

The Dayton Celtic Festival takes place rain or shine (but don’t worry, there’s plenty of covered seating), and admission is FREE. Festival hours are:

Friday, July 26, 5.30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday, July 27, 11.30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sunday, July 28, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

A full schedule of events for the weekend can be found on the Celtic Festival website. Be sure to check out the parking information on their website, as there will be large crowds and street closures in downtown Dayton during the festival (parts of Patterson Boulevard, Monument Avenue and St. Clair Street will be closed during the festival). A festival map and FAQ can be found online as well.

For more information about the festival, visit the Dayton Celtic Festival website and Facebook page.

This post written by DaytonCVB