Celtic Connections hits high note despite Storm Éowyn
The opening night of the festival kicked off the sold out events across Glasgow
- Published
World-renowned folk festival Celtic Connections has drawn to a close, with organisers saying 2025 ended on a "high note" despite the impact of Storm Éowyn.
A whole day of programmed events was wiped out when a red weather warning was issued for strong winds which battered Glasgow on 24 January.
Despite this, organisers said the festival was "on track" to surpass audience attendance in both 2023 and 2024.
They said the festival had continued to "thrive", after making "a triumphant return" from the storm, seeing audience numbers reaching 110,000, with 125 sold out shows across its 18 days.
Organisers say the festival "thrived" despite the impact of storm Eowyn
The event hosted about 1,500 musicians and artists at more than 300 events through out Glasgow.
A spokesman for the festival say they were working hard to reschedule as many shows as possible following postponements from Storm Éowyn.
Ticket holders will be updated on a "show by show basis as soon as possible", they said.
The winter music festival, which takes place every January, first began in 1994 with 66 events in one venue. This year 24 venues took part across the city.
Donald Shaw, creative producer for Celtic Connections, said: "As we reach the close of this year's festival we have to reflect on the countless moments of joy and connectedness that we're so proud to create.
"These last few weeks have been a catalyst for fresh creativity, future collaboration and renewed friendship and community, generating a legacy that stretches far beyond our 18 days.
"I would like to thank everyone who makes Celtic Connections possible and pay tribute to the resilience of our hard-working team."
The 2025 edition spanned 10 genres including acoustic, indie, traditional, Americana, jazz, folk, world and orchestral.
Some highlights included the iconic opening concert paying tribute to Glasgow's 850th birthday and a 300-strong community choir joined on stage by Karine Polwart in an "emotion-fuelled" show.