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PHOTOS: Celtic Horizon Band Festival Bringing Bands together from all over to Limerick

Celtic Horizon Band Festival – Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People’s Park is Keith Kelly, festival director, Councillor Olivia O’Sullivan and David Buckley, Celtic Horizons Tours with members of the Boherbuoy Band. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.

PHOTOS: Celtic Horizon Band Festival Bringing Bands together from all over to Limerick

The Celtic Horizon Band Festival welcomes bands, musicians, and visitors from around Ireland and the world to a new marching and concert band summer festival in Limerick. Bands of all shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities will find a warm welcome and events and competitions to suit. This festival aims to put Ireland on the international stage for marching and concert band activity.

Keith Kelly, Festival Director said, “We’re really hoping to grow the event and make it one of the leading festivals in Limerick. For 2020 we’ve had interest from the USA, Brazil, Columbia, Germany, the UK, Sweden, and Malaysia.” This year, around 12 Irish bands will attend, as well as 2 bands from Canada.


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The Celtic Horizon Band Festival is a three-day weekend festival with a great selection of competitions and workshops to take part in. Instructor workshops will take place twice over the course of the weekend, where they will have some of the world’s greatest music and marching educators present to give valuable advice and feedback for your programmes. They will also be judging the competitions. The competitions will run in different locations across Limerick city and at the University of Limerick.

The competitions include Field Shows, which represent the main events of the festival. These competitions will be judged by both a panel of WASMB and DCE judges. There will also be parades winding through the campus of the University of Limerick and across the famous UL bridge where the bands will cross from County Limerick to County Clare and back again. Other competitions include Sound Sport, where Bands of all shapes, sizes, ages, and abilities will perform for audiences in Arthur’s Quay Park at SoundSport in the City. Energy and entertainment are encouraged and the audience will play a part in deciding the award winners.

On Wednesday, July 3 the launch of the Celtic Band Festival took place in People’s park. Among the attendees was Cllr Olivia O’Sullivan. Olivia expressed her excitement of the festival to ilovelimerick saying, “It is fantastic to see this launch here this evening, it is a very exciting festival for Limerick and I know Limerick City and County Council and the Mayor’s Office are delighted that it is happening here in Limerick. It is very exciting and I think it is just the start of something very special.”

The event team have committed to the festival for the next three years and hope to bid for a world championship in Limerick in 2022 or 2023.

The festival is being organised by the Irish Marching Band Association. This unique summer festival will take place from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, July 28 with events happening all day across Limerick. For further information contact Keith Kelly, Festival Director on or email [email protected]

Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park is Keith Kelly, festival director, Councillor Olivia O'Sullivan and David Buckley, Celtic Horizons Tours. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park is Keith Kelly, festival director, Councillor Olivia O'Sullivan and David Buckley, Celtic Horizons Tours with members of the Boherbuoy Band. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.
Pictured at the launch of the Celtic Bands Festival in People's Park. Picture: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.

Pictures: Orla McLaughlin/ilovelimerick.

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