Celtic Connections 2026 shines a global spotlight on Glasgow
The 33rd edition of Glasgow's renowned Celtic Connections festival got underway on Thursday 15 January, heralding an exciting year of major events in the city.
A spectacular 'World Connections' opening concert at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall showcased some of the outstanding Scottish and international talent featured in the 2026 programme - celebrating music's global links and power to unite people all over the planet.
Kicking off 18 days of brilliant entertainment, the captivating curtain-raising show featured artists from as far away as Palestine, Mali, Gambia, Morocco and Rajasthan. More than 1,200 performers are taking to the stages of 25 city venues during Celtic Connections.
Other early festival highlights included sell-out gigs at The Emirates Arena featuring multi-award winning country and Americana star Emmylou Harris, and acclaimed Scots trad rock band Skerryvore.
Audiences of around 110,000 are expected to attend more than 300 events featuring 1,200 performers at this year's festival.
Delivered by Glasgow Life - in partnership with Innis & Gunn, and with support from the Scottish Government's Festival EXPO Fund and Creative Scotland - Celtic Connections not only boosts the international profile of our UNESCO City of Music, but also makes a major contribution to our visitor economy. The much-loved annual cultural highlight delivered an estimated £6m to the Scottish economy last year, with Glasgow benefitting from £4.9m of generated income.
Celtic Connections runs until Sunday 1 February. Full programme details can be found at: https://www.celticconnections.com/.