Celtic Music and Heritage Festival

St. Augustine's popular annual Celtic Music and Heritage Festival is at Francis Field from Friday, March 13, through Sunday, March 15, 2026. In addition to a parade, the festival celebrates Scottish, Irish, and Welsh games, music, arts, and foods.

USA Today placed St. Augustine's Celtic Music & Heritage Festival as #4 in a list of 10 Best Cultural Events for 2025.

The Festival

Celtic clans gather to show their ancestral pride, athletes demonstrate their strength at the Highland Games, and Celtic folk musicians perform on two stages. Vendors offer Celtic cuisine and handmade crafts, and the world's oldest St. Patrick's Parade marches through the streets of the nation's oldest city.

Friday, March 13, 2026: Whiskey Tasting at 7:00 p.m. in the VIP Tent at Francis Field. The tasting event is $75.00 per person and features seven premium brands of Irish and Scotch whiskey to sample. Tickets go on sale on Thanksgiving. They are limited and can only be purchased online. From 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., there's also a free Highland Games clinic for those interested in competing.

Saturday, March 14, 2026: The St. Patrick's Parade will start at 10:00 a.m. Saturday. The first St. Augustine's St. Patrick's Parade happened in 1601 when residents of St. Augustine wished to honor a popular Irish Catholic priest. This is the only St. Patrick's Parade in Northeast Florida. The Celtic Festival gates at Francis Field open at 10:00 a.m., and live entertainment begins with a bagpipe jam at 11:15 a.m.

Sunday, March 15, 2026: Gates open at 10:00 a.m. and the festival ends at 7:00 p.m. Throughout the day, live entertainment is on the main stage at Francis Field (beginning at noon) and on a secondary stage, too.

Celtic Clans: Clans from throughout Scotland and Ireland show off their family pride and represent their ancient heritage. The Highland Games athletes are encouraged to march in the parade on Saturday morning. Competition for those not marching in the parade begins at 10:00 a.m. The Highland Games continue at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Highland Games: This Scottish tradition dates back to the King of Scots, Malcolm III, who summoned contestants to a race to find the fastest runner in the land to serve as a royal messenger. The 2026 Highland Games events include open stone put, Braemer stone throw, 56-pound weight for distance, 28-pound weight for distance, caber toss, sheaf toss, and 56-pound weight for height.

Music: Regional, national, and international bands perform traditional and modern Celtic music. Many headlining musicians return yearly: fan favorites Dublin City Ramblers, Albannach, Syr, Seven Nations, and Steel City Rovers.

Admission and Tickets

Admission:

• General Admission is $25.00. A general admission ticket is valid for either Saturday or Sunday. Children ages 12 and younger are free. Active duty and retired military with an ID are free.
• VIP Tickets are $100.00 per person beginning December 2, and include admission for both days, a free festival t-shirt, two free beers or glasses of wine, fenced-off seating, special bars, and VIP trailer restrooms.
• Black Friday Sale tickets go on sale beginning Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025, at discounted "Black Friday" prices through December 1, 2025
  • $20.00 for general admission
  • $85.00 for VIP Saturday/Sunday weekend pass
  • $65.00 for the Friday Whiskey Tasting Event.
• Whiskey Tasting Event has a limited number of tickets, and you must purchase them online. Each ticket holder samples seven Irish Whiskeys and Scotches and receives a gift bag. The cost of admission for the Whiskey Tasting increases on December 2.

VIP and General Admission tickets may be purchased online or in person at Ann O'Malley's Irish Pub. Tickets will be available at the gate. 

When: Friday through Sunday, March 13, through March 15, 2026

• Friday: Whiskey Tasting 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Tickets for the Whiskey Tasting are not included in the VIP package. You must purchase them online in advance.) 

• Saturday: Gates open at 10:00 a.m. The event closes at 10:00 p.m.

  • 10:00 a.m., Gates Open; 11:00 a.m., Bagpipe Jam; 11:30 a.m., Parade Awards Presentation

• Sunday: Gates open at 10:00 a.m. The event closes at 7:00 p.m.

  • 10:00 a.m. Filler Music and Announcements

Where: Francis Field is located at 25 W. Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, Florida 32084, behind the parking garage in downtown St. Augustine.

Live Entertainment

Main Stage—2025 Celtic Bands

In alphabetical order:

Albannach: Saturday at 12:00 and 9:15 p.m.; Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
This band was born and bred in Scotland and plays authentic Scottish music with great energy and musicality. Members of Albannach include a championship-winning piper, a main drummer, a bass drummer, a bodhran musician, and an expert on the didgeridoo.

Celtic Conundrum: Saturday, 1:00 p.m.

Gaelica: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Mudmen: Sunday, 5:15 p.m.

Steel City Rovers: Saturday, 5:45 p.m.; Sunday, 1:45 p.m.

Syr: Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
This Celtic band from Columbia, South Carolina, honors Celtic heritage in their distinctive, creative, high-energy style. This family-focused band includes siblings Kyle and Laurel MacCallum, their spouses Kelly and Greg Vance, plus Ben Campbell and Worth Lewllen.

The Druids: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3:00 p.m.

Second Stage—2025 Entertainment 

In alphabetical order:

Bill Mullen: Saturday, 2:15 p.m.—Singer, songwriter, musician, and storyteller.

Blue Lotus World Dance Company: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Captain Mayhem, The Pirate Magician: Saturday, noon and 5:45 p.m.; Sunday, 1:15 and 6:00 p.m.

First Coast Highlanders Bagpipe Workshop: Sunday, 2:15 P.M.

Heart Strings: Saturday, 1:00 p.m., and Sunday at noon.—Heart Strings is a duo with Mickey Sweeney on hammered dulcimer and Dave Sweeney on bass marimba.

John Miles, Historian: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.—"The Viking Invasion of the British Isles. Sunday, 3:30 p.m.—"Celtic Critters (Unicorns, Selkies, and Kelpies)

Steel City Rovers Music Workshop: Sunday, 4:45 p.m.

See the full entertainment schedule below.

Answers to F.A.Q.s

• No pets are permitted on the festival grounds. Only service dogs will be allowed.
• No firearms are permitted.
• No alcoholic beverages are permitted.
• No coolers are permitted.
• No skateboards or bicycles are permitted.
• You may bring blankets and chairs.

Free Park-and-Ride Shuttle

This information is from 2025

We will update this as soon as new information becomes available.

The City of St. Augustine provides a free park-and-ride shuttle service downtown for visitors during the peak spring break and festival season. The shuttle service starts at 11:00 a.m. on select Saturdays in March and April 2025, with an 8:00 a.m. start during the two parade days, March 8 and April 19, 2025.

Parking is available for a fee at the downtown parking garage, next to Francis Field, on South Castillo Drive.

Free Shuttles

Park for free at 198 & 212 West King Street, at the intersection of U.S. 1 and King Street - Known as "Broudy's Lot." 

From there, shuttles will run continuously until 9:00 p.m. each Saturday, dropping off and picking up people at the Visitor Information Center, 10 S. Castillo Drive.

Here is the full 2025 schedule

The times of shuttle operation vary by date:
*Saturday, March 8, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 pm. (St. Patrick's Parade)
*Saturday, March 15, 22, 29, and April 5 and 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
*Saturday, April 19, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Easter Parade)

For alternative parking options when the park-and-ride shuttle is not available, please visit here.