Celtic Connections 2026: What you should know about the Glasgow festival - including line up highlights, venues and more
From which venues are taking part to line up highlights, here is everything you should know about Celtic Connections 2026.
Celtic Connections, one of Scotland’s largest music festivals, is back for 2026.
Now in its 33rd year of bringing together traditional Scottish music, international folk, roots and more, this year’s festival will take place from January 15 to February 1 in Glasgow.
More than 300 concerts, workshops and talks have been lined up, and more than 110,000 people are expected to attend over the next few weeks.
With highlights including performances from stars such as Emmylou Harris, here is everything you need to know about Celtic Connections 2026.
When is Celtic Connections 2026?
Helping to beat the winter blues, this year’s Celtic Connections will take place from Thursday, January 15 to Sunday, February 1.
Where will Celtic Connections take place?
There are more than 25 venues participating in Celtic Connections 2026, with Citizens Theatre becoming an official venue for the first time.
Here are all of the venues taking part:
- The Art School
- The Barony Hall
- The Barrowland Ballroom
- Citizens Theatre
- City Halls
- Cottiers Theatre
- Drygate Brewery
- Emirates Arena
- The Garage
- The Glad Cafe
- Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
- The Glee Club
- The Hug And Pint
- Innis & Gunn Brewery Taproom
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
- King Tut's
- The Mackintosh Church
- The National Piping Centre
- Novotel Glasgow Centre
- Old Fruitmarket
- Oran Mòr
- Pavilion Theatre
- Saint Luke's
- SWG3
- Theatre Royal
- Tramway
- Tron Theatre
How to get tickets
Tickets for festival events are available from the official Celtic Connections website, as well as some venue websites.
Highlights from Celtic Connections 2026
There is plenty of entertainment on offer during Celtic Connections 2026, with the line-up including more than 1,200 artists.
Headliners for the festival this year include Emmylou Harris, Buena Vista All Stars, Lucinda Williams, Skerryvore, Béla Fleck, Baobab, Watchouse and Mon Rovîa.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as there will also be a range of special workshops and concerts on offer, including those tailored exclusively for children.
This includes cèilidhs, the Merchant City Trad Trail, which traces the story of Glasgow’s folk and roots music scenes, Brew and a Blether talks with various hosts and guests, dementia friendly concerts and the Danny Kyle Open Stage, which is a festival tradition for new talent.
In addition, the Scottish National Whisky Festival will take place at SWG3 in Glasgow on Saturday, January 24 with the event curated to celebrate the relationship between whisky and Celtic music.
Opening night — Thursday, January 15
Celtic Connections will launch with World Connections, which brings together many genres and talents, from both near and far.
Taking place from 7.30pm at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, performers include Rokia Koné, Amal Kaawash, Sona Jobarteh, Rose Cousins, Justin Adams and Mohamed Errebbaa.
In addition, there will be more music from the SAZ trio, as well as special guests including Scotland’s own RURA.
Highlights from Friday, January 16 to Sunday, January 18
The first full day of Celtic Connections 2026 will kick off with a range of events, including a concert from Emmylou Harris’ at Emirates Arena, where the country music legend will be joined by special guest Jim Lauderdale.
Aside from Emmylou Harris, on Friday there will also be performances from Grant-Lee Phillips and Niamh Corkey, Humbird with Quiet Man, RuMac, Katie Gregson-MacLeod and many more.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will also put on their own unique show, having joined forces with folk performers including Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Emily Smith, and more for new arrangements of classic Scots folk songs and ballads.
On Saturday, January 17 there will be a celebration of piper Gordon Duncan led by his proteges Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton, with the Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ Stuart Cassells as MC. Also on Saturday is the Celebration of Gaelic Song: Suas leis a’ Ghàidhlig, which will see multi-award-winning Gaelic singers and musicians showcasing the best of Gaelic music, sign and heritage.
Finally headliners Skerryvore will put on a huge show at the Emirates Arena, with support from special guests Project Smok and Heron Valley.
Highlights on Sunday, January 18 include a tribute to Dick Gaughan at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, as well as gigs from Kathryn Joseph and Lomond Campbell, who will also be joined by SHHE.
Then traditional singing will meet modern jazz with a special musical experience from Iarla Ó Lionáird, which sees the Grammy-nominated vocalist team up with Cormac McCarthy, Matthew Berrill and Aoife Ní Bhriain.
Highlights from Monday, January 19 to Sunday, January 25
It will be a slower start to the next week, with three gigs taking place on Monday, January 19. The Laurettes will play Oran Mor, with Martin Simpson headlining a solo show at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall alongside acoustic guitarist Liam Docherty.
Finally, Julie Fowlis and Duncan Chisholm will team up for An Treas Suaile (The Third Wave), which will take place on January 19 and 20, at the Tron Theatre.
Also on Tuesday, January 20 is a special performance from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Then there will also be a show from Scottish trad musicians Gary Innes and Ewen Henderson, of Mànran, at the Mackintosh Church, with headliners Buena Vista All Stars playing Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with Triptic.
On Wednesday, January 21, Gruff Rhys and Elanor Moss will perform, with other events including a special show from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra who will be joined by Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway, John McIntyre and Máirtín O'Connor.
That same evening at Celtic Connections, the Maclean Brothers, who captured attention around the world when they set a new record for rowing across the Pacific, will host a talk with performances from Ross Ainslie and Duncan Chisholm, Valtos, Rura and Siobhan Miller as well as Sorren Maclean and Hannah Fisher.
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On Thursday, January 22, Mon Rovîa will headline SWG3 Galvanizers, with other gigs that evening from Sharon Shannon, The East Pointers and Kelsey Walson with John R. Miller. There will also be the first of two performances of Deiseil: Dancing in Time, which The Scotsman gave 5-stars during its Edinburgh Fringe run.
Kicking off the weekend on Friday, January 23, there will be gigs from artists such as Kirsteen Harvey, the Ayoub Sisters – who will join the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra — Dylan LeBlanc, La Déferlance and Capercaillie. Horse will also perform that same night over at the Barrowland Ballroom, putting on a once in a lifetime show with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
On Saturday, January 24, highlights include shows from Nick Harper, Donald Grand and Fergus McCreadie, DLÙ with Scottish Fish, and Laura Jane Wilkie and Ian Carr with Macalla and Woodlands Bäckafall. There’s also The Chair’s anniversary special, which will see the eight-piece band deliver a high-energy performance with guests FARA and Gnoss, as well as a show from Orchestra Baobab.
The week will wrap up on Sunday, January 25 – Burns Night – with plenty of related performances.
Mairi Campbell will take audiences on a journey through Auld Lang Syne at the Tron Theatre, with Celtic Connections also hosting a special Burns Night Concert at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum to celebrate.
Highlights from Monday, January 26 to Sunday, February 1
The final week of Celtic Connections will commence with a bang, with performances from the likes of The James Hunter Six and Fantastic Negrito.
However, the big event on Monday, January 26 is the festival favourite Roaming Roots Revue: Icons Vol.2. A sell-out success last year, the live music experience is curated and hosted by Roddy Hart. Guests this year include Elbow’s Guy Garvey, C Duncan, Dylan LeBlanc, Amythyst Kiah, James Emmanuel, Rianne Downey and Alice Faye.
The energy is sustained on Tuesday, January 27 with performances from Blazin Fiddle’s and Hannah Rarity, Celtic Fandango – a collaboration of Mexican and Scottish musicians — with Routes to Roots, in addition to gigs from Ashley Campell and more.
On Wednesday, January 28, Alice Faye will headline Citizens Theatre with support from GAÏA. That same evening there will also be a triple bill of contemporary Celtic music from RURA, Ímar and Staran at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Also on Wednesday, Scottish poet Len Pennie will premiere Delusions, her collaboration with composer Paul Leonard-Morgan, at Saint Luke’s.
Thursday, January 29 has a number of exciting concerts to look forward to including The Unthanks celebrating 20 years together, with support from Beth Malcolm, Junior Brother, Mama Terra and Ariane Mamon. There’s also a tribute to Flora MacNeil by Maggie MacInnes, and a live recording of John McCusker’s podcast The Fiddle Line with special guest Aly Bain.
With just a few days left of the Celtic Connections, Friday, January 30 has plenty of exciting performances going on. There’s Torridon and the Tumbling Souls at Òran Mór, Tom McGuire & The Brassholes at the Barrowland Ballroom, and a special experience from David Allson at the Tron. Plus, the staple Transatlantic Seasons at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall will feature vocals from Kathy Mattea, Darrell Scott, Karine Polwart and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, with additional shows from other artists on elsewhere around the city.
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The penultimate day of the festival lands on Saturday, January 31, with a whole host of performances lined up across Glasgow. Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh and Kim Carnie have teamed up for a show at the City Halls, with plenty of special guests promised. At the Barras, Dàimh Big Band and Jiggy will take to the stage, while at the Drygate Brewery you can catch Darrell Scott and Hannah White.
Seckou Keita & The Homeland Band and Siraba are set to play SWG3, while a special collaboration between Celtic Connections and the Edinburgh International Book Festival will see India Alba explore the cultural and historical links between Scotland and India at the Citizens Theatre.
There’s also a headline show from Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez Trio and Dallahan at the Pavilion Theatre.
Sunday, February 1 marks the final day of Celtic Connections 2026. There will be concerts from musicians including Lucinda Williams, Jeffrey Martin, Colin Steele and more, as well as the return of Transatlantic Sessions.
However, it may very well be the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Final 2026 which draws attention, with six musicians going through to the final.
With so many events taking place in Glasgow as part of Celtic Connections, our guide barely scratches the surface. For further details, you can visit the festival website online or follow them on social media.
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