24th Niagara Celtic Heritage Festival & Highland Games
Niagara Celtic Hosts the
N. American King and Queen of Celtic Music
The Niagara Celtic Heritage Festival & Highland Games will be featuring the following bands for the 2025 Festival. On Saturday evening, September 13th the opening band, Tuatha Dea, from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, starts out the evening at 6:00. At 8:30 the headliner taking the stage is Canada’s Queen and King of Celtic Performers – Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy. They will be joined by their very talented children.
Natalie, known for her virtuosic skill and charm, was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2006, won two Canadian JUNO Awards, nineteen East Coast Music Awards, and has released three Gold Albums. Donnell led the family band “Leahy” to Double-Platinum status, won three Canadian JUNO Awards, and was the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Leahys: Music Most of All.” Natalie and Donnell have passed their musical talent and dancing on to their children. While their focus is the fiddle, they also play a variety of musical instruments accompanied by the Cape Breton style of step dancing. Prior to the Festival the family will also be presenting three private workshops for music students at Lockport area schools.
Tuatha Dea tours and performs Nationally and Internationally and have been celebrated for their uniqueness and energy. Songs like “Appalachia Burning” and “Kilts and Corsets” drawn from personal experiences relate the depth and heart of the band’s creative spirit. Powerful hard-hitting tunes like “Wisp of a Thing”, “Morgan La Fey” and “Amy” reflect the groups Rock edge!
To finish the Festival on Sunday evening starting at 5:00, they will welcome another Canadian group, The Mudmen. Always entertaining and definitely unique, Mudmen are a blast of Celtic energy. The Mudmen have performed at festivals, theatres, events & clubs in eight different countries. Mudmen have guested and or opened for Glass Tiger, The Irish Rovers, The Chieftains, and of course Natalie MacMaster.
To see these three world class bands and many more performers on five music stages, visit the largest Celtic Gathering in New York State: the Niagara Celtic Heritage Festival on September 13th and 14th 2025 at the Niagara County Fairgrounds. Enjoy authentic Highland Games, Pipe Bands, Clans, Dancers, Bonfires, History Groups, Animal presentations, Workshops, Artisans, Merchandise Vendors, the Taste of Celtic with 30+ food vendors, Adult Beverages, Pageantry and a special kid’s area.
To find out everything you need to know about this exciting and extensive celebration of Celtic Culture, and to purchase tickets before they are sold out, please visit niagaraceltic.com
Contact info Phil Banks 716.778.5730 / phil@niagaraceltic.com / NCHS 6447 Phillips Rd. Burt, NY 14028 USA