Celtic Classic Highland Games & Festival 2026 will take place September 25–27 in Historic Downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with the main festival area centered around 305 Conestoga Street and the streets beside the Monocacy Creek. The 39th annual celebration brings together the U.S. National Highland Games Championship, pipe band competitions, five stages of Celtic music, the Showing of the Tartan Parade, Irish dance, heritage programming, clans, merchants and family activities.

Admission to the festival is free, continuing a tradition maintained by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance. Visitors looking for other historical and cultural events in the state can also explore Renaissance and medieval festivals in Pennsylvania.

⚔️ U.S. National Highland Games Championship

One of the festival’s principal attractions is the U.S. National Highland Games Championship, which returns to Highland Field with professional athletes competing in traditional Scottish strength events.

Competitors qualify through results accumulated during the Highland Games season, bringing some of the leading professional Highland athletes in the United States to Bethlehem. The Celtic Classic has hosted the official national championship for more than two decades.

Events scheduled during the weekend include:

• Hammer throw
• Braemar Stone
• Weight for distance
• Weight for height
• Sheaf toss
• Caber toss and Caber Challenge

The modern Highland Games developed from contests of strength, agility and skill associated with Scottish clan gatherings and other communal events. Several disciplines performed today retain clear links with centuries-old traditions.

🎺 Pipe bands and massed bands

Bagpipes and drums are a major part of the festival, with formal competitions taking place at Piping Grove on Lehigh Street.

The competition structure includes:

• Grade 4 Pipe Band Competition: Saturday at 1:30 PM
• Grade 3 Pipe Band Competition: Sunday at 12:00 PM
• Drum Major Competition
• Massed band performances
• Pipe band award ceremonies

Bands compete within ability grades and are assessed on factors including tuning, tone, tempo, ensemble balance, musical expression and technical execution.

🏴 Showing of the Tartan Parade

The Showing of the Tartan Parade is one of the signature traditions of the Celtic Classic. It begins on Saturday at 11:30 AM, bringing pipe bands, clans, Celtic societies and other participants through downtown Bethlehem before the festival’s opening ceremonies at Highland Field.

Tartans represent family, regional and organizational identities within Scottish culture, making the parade both a ceremonial highlight and a visible expression of the heritage celebrated throughout the weekend.

🎵 Five stages of Celtic entertainment

Music runs throughout the festival on five principal stages and entertainment areas. The program ranges from traditional Irish and Scottish music to Celtic rock, folk, roots music, dance and acoustic performances.

The announced 2026 lineup includes:

• Cúlra
• Dave North Trio
• Emish
• Fig For a Kiss
• Gerry Timlin
• Killen Clark
• Kilmaine Saints
• O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
• On The Lash
• Runa
• Screaming Orphans
• Seamus Kennedy
• Steel City Rovers
• The Ogham Stones
• The Pilgrims of Deep Run
• Rogue Diplomats

Performances are distributed between Highland Field, Grand Pavilion, Tavern in the Glen, Ice House, Piping Grove and Celtic River Stage, allowing several activities to take place simultaneously.

The Celtic Classic is also part of the broader tradition of Celtic festivals featured on Medieval Agenda.

🏰 Celtic Heritage Hollow

Celtic Heritage Hollow combines education, genealogy, traditional arts and family activities. Clan organizations and cultural societies provide opportunities to learn about Scottish, Irish, Welsh and other Celtic traditions while workshops and talks explore music, history, storytelling, art and literature.

Scheduled activities include:

• Clan and society displays
• Children’s Activity Tent
• Irish Soda Bread Muffin Baking Contest
• Youth Fiddle Competition and workshop
• Celtic Poetry Competition
• Historical talks
• Celtic music workshops
• Storytelling
• Children’s performances
• Presentations on Celtic art and literature

The Children’s Activity Tent and clan area operate from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.

🛍 Celtic merchants, food and drink

The marketplace is another major component of the weekend, with numerous merchants specializing in Celtic merchandise and collectibles.

Visitors can expect goods associated with Scottish, Irish and wider Celtic traditions, including clothing, tartan products, jewelry, artwork, accessories, decorative objects and heritage-related merchandise.

Food vendors operate throughout the festival grounds, while designated beverage areas offer soft drinks and adult beverages. Alcohol service is restricted to visitors of legal drinking age.

🕒 Festival hours

Published visitor hours for the weekend are:

Friday, September 25: 4:30 PM–10:00 PM
Saturday, September 26: 10:00 AM–10:00 PM
Sunday, September 27: 10:00 AM–7:00 PM

Some scheduled competitions and program activities begin before the general published hours, including Friday programming from 4:00 PM and the Saturday Youth Fiddle Competition at 9:00 AM.

The September weekend places the event among the Renaissance faires and medieval festivals taking place in September 2026.

⚔️ 2026 Program

Friday, September 25

Highland Field

4:00 PM: VIP Reception
5:15 PM: Haggis Bowl
5:45 PM: Challenge Caber
6:30 PM: Wayside Farm Border Collies

Grand Pavilion

4:15 PM: The Pilgrims of Deep Run
5:30 PM: Kilmaine Saints
7:00 PM: The Ogham Stones

Tavern in the Glen

4:00 PM: Fig For a Kiss
5:15 PM: Gerry Timlin
6:45 PM: Seamus Kennedy

Ice House

4:00 PM: Seamus Kennedy
5:30 PM: O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
6:45 PM: On The Lash

Celtic Cross Intersection

6:45 PM: Celtic United Pipe Band performance

Saturday, September 26

Ice House

9:00 AM: Youth Fiddle Competition
1:30 PM: Rogue Diplomats
3:00 PM: O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
4:00 PM: The Pilgrims of Deep Run
5:30 PM: Steel City Rovers
7:00 PM: On The Lash

Highland Field

10:00 AM: 22 lb Hammer
11:00 AM: 24 lb Braemar Stone
11:30 AM: Showing of the Tartan Parade
12:00 PM: Opening Ceremonies
12:45 PM: 56 lb Weight for Distance
1:30 PM: Sheaf Toss
2:30 PM: Drum Major Competition
3:30 PM: Caber Toss
5:30 PM: Massed Bands
5:45 PM: Grade 4 Pipe Band Awards
6:30 PM: Border Collie Demonstration

Celtic Heritage Hollow

10:00 AM: Baking Contest Check-In
10:30 AM: Irish Soda Bread Muffin Baking Contest
11:00 AM–5:00 PM: Children’s Activity Tent
11:00 AM–5:00 PM: Clans and Societies
12:00 PM: Steel Hero – Capt. Bill Jones, historical presentation by Martha Capwell Fox
1:00 PM: Steel City Rovers Musical Workshop
2:00 PM: Celtic Lore & Tales with Kristin Pedemonti
3:15 PM: Seamus Kennedy Children’s Performance
4:30 PM: Celtic Knots & Letters: A Living Tradition — talk and gallery walk exploring their history, artistry and legacy

Tavern in the Glen

11:30 AM: Dave North Trio
1:00 PM: O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
2:00 PM: Gerry Timlin
3:30 PM: The Ogham Stones
5:00 PM: Screaming Orphans
6:30 PM: Seamus Kennedy

Grand Pavilion

12:00 PM: The Ogham Stones
1:30 PM: Cúlra
3:00 PM: Runa
4:30 PM: O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
5:30 PM: Rogue Diplomats
7:00 PM: Kilmaine Saints

Celtic River Stage

12:45 PM: On The Lash
2:15 PM: Dave North Trio
3:45 PM: Emish
5:15 PM: Gerry Timlin
6:45 PM: The Pilgrims of Deep Run

Piping Grove

1:30 PM: Grade 4 Pipe Band Competition

Sunday, September 27

Highland Field

10:00 AM: 16 lb Hammer Throw
11:00 AM: Open Stone
11:45 AM: 28 lb Weight for Distance
1:15 PM: 56 lb Weight for Height
2:45 PM: Caber Challenge
4:00 PM: Athletic Awards
4:15 PM: Scholarships and Awards Presentation
4:30 PM: Massed Bands
5:00 PM: Grade 3 Pipe Band Awards
5:30 PM: Wayside Farm Border Collies

Ice House

10:00 AM: Ecumenical Service
12:00 PM: Killen Clark
1:30 PM: Gerry Timlin
3:00 PM: Runa
4:30 PM: Dave North Trio

Celtic Heritage Hollow

10:00 AM: Youth Fiddle Workshop
11:00 AM–5:00 PM: Children’s Activity Tent
11:00 AM–5:00 PM: Clans and Societies
11:30 AM: Celtic Poetry Competition
12:30 PM: History of Celtic Baking with Bethany Carrigan of King Arthur Baking Company
1:30 PM: Border Reiver Clans – Raiders of the Scottish-Anglo Border
2:30 PM: Dave North Trio Children’s Performance
3:30 PM: Exploring Celtic Culture Through Literature, Film & Television

Grand Pavilion

11:00 AM: Cúlra
12:30 PM: Emish
2:00 PM: Screaming Orphans
3:30 PM: Steel City Rovers
5:00 PM: O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
6:00 PM: Kilmaine Saints

Tavern in the Glen

11:00 AM: O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
12:15 PM: Fig For a Kiss
1:45 PM: Kilmaine Saints
3:15 PM: O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance
4:15 PM: Emish
5:45 PM: Seamus Kennedy

Celtic River Stage

11:30 AM: Runa
12:30 PM: Steel City Rovers
2:00 PM: Killen Clark
3:30 PM: Cúlra
5:00 PM: Screaming Orphans

Piping Grove

12:00 PM: Grade 3 Pipe Band Competition

🎟 Admission, parking and shuttle prices

Festival admission: Free

Celtic Classic Shuttle:
Ages 6 and older: $6 per person, per day
Children age 5 and under: Free

Published downtown parking rate:
Approximately $15 per day, subject to change at individual parking facilities.

🅿️ Parking and festival shuttle

Because the Celtic Classic occupies streets in Historic Downtown Bethlehem, vehicle access and on-street parking immediately around the grounds are limited.

The organizer lists several nearby public parking options:

• 75 W. North Street Parking Garage: approximately two blocks from the festival
• Main Street Commons: behind 559 Main Street, with access from Broad Street
• Johnston Park, Old York Road: adjacent to the festival
• 55 E. Broad Street Parking Lot: approximately four blocks from the grounds

The festival also operates a weekend shuttle from:

1525 Valley Center Parkway, Bethlehem, PA

🚌 Shuttle hours:
Friday: No shuttle service
Saturday: 9:00 AM–8:30 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM–7:30 PM

Shuttles are scheduled approximately every 20–30 minutes.

📍 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in eastern Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, spanning parts of Northampton and Lehigh counties. The 2020 U.S. Census recorded 75,781 residents, while the Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate places the population at approximately 79,644.

The city’s history began in 1741, when Moravian settlers established a community near the confluence of the Monocacy Creek and Lehigh River. Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf gave the settlement the name Bethlehem during a Christmas Eve gathering that year.

The Moravians created an organized communal society with workshops, mills and trades that made the settlement an important early industrial center. Surviving eighteenth-century structures preserve much of this history.

Bethlehem later became internationally associated with heavy industry, particularly through Bethlehem Steel, while its historic Moravian district survived as one of the most important colonial cultural landscapes in the United States.

In July 2024, Moravian Church Settlements – Bethlehem was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with related Moravian settlements in Europe, adding international recognition to the city’s colonial heritage.

🚗 How to get to Bethlehem

By road

Bethlehem is conveniently located near several major highways.

From Philadelphia and southern Pennsylvania, drivers can use the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension, I-476, toward the Lehigh Valley before connecting with Route 22.

From the west, Interstate 78 East connects with Route 22 and Route 378 toward downtown.

From the north, travelers can use Route 33 South, followed by Route 22 West and Route 378 South.

The festival recommends taking the Center City exit from Route 378, then continuing toward West Broad Street and the downtown parking facilities.

By train

Bethlehem currently has no direct intercity passenger rail station. Travelers arriving by train can use Amtrak services to Philadelphia’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station and continue toward the Lehigh Valley by bus or road transportation.

Another option for travelers from New York and the Northeast is to combine rail travel with an intercity bus connection to Bethlehem.

By bus

Bethlehem has direct intercity bus connections through Trans-Bridge Lines, including services between the Bethlehem Transportation Center at 635 Guetter Street and New York City.

Local public transportation is operated by LANta, whose network connects Downtown Bethlehem with Allentown, Easton and other communities across the Lehigh Valley. Several routes serve the Bethlehem Transportation Center, making it possible to reach the downtown area without a car.

📏 Approximate road distances from major Pennsylvania cities

Allentown: 10 mi
Reading: 47 mi
Philadelphia: 70 mi
Scranton: 75 mi
Pittsburgh: 285 mi
Erie: 350 mi

📏 Approximate road distances from major U.S. cities

New York City: 90 mi
Washington, D.C.: 190 mi
Chicago: 730 mi
Houston: 1,550 mi
Phoenix: 2,300 mi
Los Angeles: 2,700 mi

Distances are approximate driving distances and vary according to the route selected.

♿ Accessibility and practical information

The festival grounds are accessible to wheelchair users, although portions of the large outdoor site have natural terrain that may make movement more difficult.

Accessible parking spaces are available for vehicles displaying the appropriate state-issued placard, including designated areas on Conestoga Street and Lehigh Street.

Accessible restrooms are provided at festival restroom locations.

With free admission, extensive Highland Games competition, pipe bands, music, dance, historical presentations and family activities, the Celtic Classic remains one of the largest Celtic heritage gatherings in the region.