BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Thanks to pleasant temperatures and sunny skies, North America’s largest Celtic festival drew strong crowds this year, ending three years hampered by weather, officials said Wednesday.
The 38th run of the 2025 Celtic Classic & U.S. Highland Games drew an estimated 170,000 people during its Sept. 26-28 run, Executive Director Jayne Ann Recker said.
That's not a record — well short of the estimated 250,000 the festival drew in 2013.
But it's a sharp increase from the past three years, when rainy weather caused low attendance for the free festival, organized by The Celtic Cultural Alliance, or CCA in Bethlehem's Historic District.
In 2024, the Celtic Cultural Alliance was awarded a $75,000 state grant after Tropical Storm Ophelia brought heavy rains in 2023, leading to low attendance and the cancelation of events such as the annual Showing of the Tartan Parade.
Before CCA received the grant, Recker had told LehighValleyNews.com a review of the organization’s finances would help determine whether it would return in 2024.
Also, in 2023, Bethlehem announced it would team up with the Celtic Cultural Alliance and Downtown Bethlehem Association to usher in the return of the Parade of Shamrocks.
Celtic Classic has been held each October in Bethlehem since 1988, with the exception of 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Camaraderie all around
At Friday’s VIP reception and kickoff, the sun was shining as Recker, CCA organizers and festival volunteers shared smiles, laughter, and a spirit of camaraderie all around.
The community spirit — as well as great weather — continued throughout the weekend, Recker said at the festival, which celebrates the culture of Celtic regions: Ireland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Scotland and Wales.
As in years past, the Celtic Fest packed three days of nonstop activity: the U.S. National Championships of the Highland Games, five stages of Celtic rock, folk, and pub-style music, pipe band competitions, and Irish dance, performed by youth groups inside the Ice House.
The 2025 U.S. National Championships, an athletic competition that features traditional games such as the caber toss and hammer throw, also crowned a new champion, Kyle Lillie (Lillie placed second at the 2024 Highland Games).
