Castlewellan will be the centre of musical diversity during the July holiday period, with a wealth of musical events over a three week period.  Visitors will first be treated to the Castlewellan Festival, running from 10 - 13 July.  Celtic Fusion intensifies the atmosphere from 13 – 20 July with a packed programme of concerts, sessions, outdoor entertainment, drama and so much more.  The Ulster Fleadh will continue to keep the town buzzing with music as it takes place from 20 – 27 July 2008.

Now in its seventh year, Celtic Fusion International Musical Arts Festival has embraced celtic traditions by successfully bringing the best musicians from around the world to Castlewellan, County Down.  Starting as a weekend festival it has evolved into an eight day celebration of music and drama.  It is now recognised as one of the most diverse festivals in the country.

The emphasis of this year’s festival is atmosphere.  Celtic Fusion ‘08 is focused primarily in Castlewellan enabling the town to burst into life, with a small number of events taking place in neighbouring Newcastle.  Visitors to the area can enjoy the entirety of the programme without having to travel around the district.  This is just one improvement to the programme which sees an increased number of free events throughout the Trad Music Session Trail and also a dedicated Festival Bar for the final weekend of the festival. 

This year, Celtic Fusion offers more world-class artistes, combined with several up and coming names from the local Irish music scene.  It is a distinctive and exciting mix, promising eight days of fun and new experiences, which you won’t want to miss.