The National Celtic Folk Festival (NCFF) is back in Portarlington for cultural activities and music.
Festival director Una McAlindan said the NCFF has “come back bigger and better” for its 19th year and looked forward to seeing everyone come together to enjoy the event from June 9 to 12.
“This year we’re back with an international lineup, a full programme, and we’ve got some extra things that are part of the event,” she said.
“We’re working with the Geelong Gaels and celebrating 160 years of the first rules of hurling, which were written in Geelong and then sent back to Ireland.
“The music programme is really great. It’s very diverse this year and there’s the strong Celtic element, which is the heart of what we’re about.”
Ms McAlindan said the festival would feature many Australian and international artists and allow younger musicians to get their start in the industry.
“Providing opportunities for young artists is a bit of a highlight for me,” she said.
“The importance of what they’re doing is sustaining the culture and it’s really important for cultural festivals like ours to really focus on the young people that are passionate about it.”
Ms McAlindan said the festival would also have activities, markets, food stalls and Celtic sporting events that would appeal to everyone, on top of an impressive musical lineup.
“It appeals to all ages, and we get a lot of participation,” she said.
“We found last year, coming back after COVID, the biggest thing that connected everyone was the sense of community of like-minded people.
“People got together because they missed travelling back to their country of origin and this really felt like home.”
