COUNTDOWN TO CELTIC COLOURS
Festival features much more than concerts
Celtic Colours gives us all a chance to get out and explore.
Over the last 20 or so years working and volunteering with the Celtic Colours International Festival, I have been asked time and time again about my festival highlights and also on occasion what I am most looking forward to.
Given the nature of my job as communications officer, I don’t really get much opportunity to just go see a show. If I’m at a concert, it’s usually because I am needed there and more often than not, I’m in and out as necessary and not there for the music at all. As a result I tend to catch most of my music at the Festival Club later in the evening. And while this in itself is always a highlight for me, one of my favourite things about the festival is just getting out and exploring this beautiful Island I live on.
I remember more than once heading to the Judique Community Centre from St. Ann’s and arriving at Route 19 — after a beautiful drive along Route 252 through Skye Glen, Nevada Valley and Brook Village — wondering if I should turn left or right. It’s a little embarrassing to admit that I didn’t know if Judique was north or south of Mabou, but I didn’t at the time. It made me realize that I hadn’t really explored much of Cape Breton, this celebrated island that we live on, beyond my dayto-day travels.
Fortunately, during Celtic Colours my day-to-day travels could include just about anywhere on the island. With concerts and events happening in 70 communities, Celtic Colours gives us all a chance to get out and explore.
And we should take advantage of it.
There are plenty of free, family-friendly, and fresh air events taking place during the festival that will not only get you out and active, but also encourage you to travel around a bit, and maybe see or experience something you didn’t expect, or learn something new.
From guided hikes in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park to an island-wide, self-directed tour of churches, there is a wide range of experiences available that offer something unique, even for those of us who live here year-round.
If you want to get out into the great outdoors, there are guided hikes taking place in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park all week, Monday, October 8 to Friday, October 12. These hikes are free with a Park Pass (ranging from $6.80 for seniors to $15.70 for a family; youth under 17 free). If you’re looking for slightly less strenuous family fun but still looking for an excuse to travel to the Highlands, the park will also host a pumpkin carving event on Sunday, October 7, 10 a.m.-noon.
And for those who are really just looking for an excuse to drive around the island during the most scenic time of the year, Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia is offering a unique opportunity to explore Cape Breton’s built heritage in a free, self-guided tour of churches on the island, October 7 and 8 in Inverness and Richmond County, and October 9 and 10 in Victoria County and the CBRM.
While most are still well-used, some of these buildings are no longer in active use for worship, yet they represent a significant community resource that was highly valued by early settlers. Doors Open for Churches celebrates these buildings as unique markers in our communities’ history and culture.
Visit the Celtic Colours website for a full list of churches and times.
The 22nd Celtic Colours International Festival runs from October 5-13, 2018, featuring concerts and cultural events in 70 communities all over Cape Breton Island. For tickets or more information visit celtic-colours.com, call 902-567-3000 (local), 1-888355-7744 (toll free), or drop in at the Celtic Colours Box Office on Nepean Street in Sydney.