Posted 09 Mar 2011
The capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh is world renowned for its festivals. Its Fringe Festival is the largest annual arts festival in the world, and its Hogmanay New Year's celebration is nearly as popular. While there are a great number of large scale arts festivals in Edinburgh, there are just as many small festivals with a narrowly focused theme. One of these is the Ceilidh Culture Traditional Arts Festival. Held from the 25th of March to the 16th of April in 2011, this eight year old annual festival showcases traditional Scottish forms of artistic expression through music, dance and storytelling.
The Ceilidh Culture Traditional Arts Festival The Ceilidh Culture Traditional Arts Festival has an interesting history dating back to 1951. Between 1951 and 1954, the Ceilidh Culture Traditional Arts Festival was known as the People's Festival. It was funded by the Communist Party, and exemplified multiple aspects of Scottish folk culture. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, the People's Festival collapsed. However, prior to this, the People's Festival narrowed its focus, and the Ceilidh, or traditional Gaelic artistic gathering, became its principle component. Due to fragmentary evidence, there may or may not have been People's Festivals between 1954 and 1983, however, it is thought with certainty that one took place in 1964. In 2003, the Ceilidh Culture Traditional Arts Festival was reformulated into what it is today.
Ceilidh Culture in 2011 The Ceilidh Culture Traditional Arts Festival features both domestic and international talents. It draws a far reaching but selective crowd of individuals who are either interested in learning more about traditional Scottish arts, or who want to collaborate and share their abilities. The 2011 festival will feature dance, music, storytelling and workshops. Its purpose both to give the public exposure to traditional Scottish culture, and to aid the careers of traditional Scottish artists.
If you're looking to visit Edinburgh for the Ceilidh Culture Traditional Arts Festival, then Jurys Inn is one of the best located hotels in Edinburgh for all the action.
Photo with thanks to Flickr user: I Don't Know, Maybe.
