The Celtic Festival is an international event and this year's festival will be the fifth one held in Japan. To date, we have the support of the embassies of Ireland, the UK, Spain, France, Australia, Canada, and the Delegation of European Community and we are currently informing other embassies of the festival such as the American, and New Zealand embassies. One of the main aims of the festival is to share Celtic heritage and culture with Japanese people and to bring together people of all nationalities. The Celtic Festival occurs around Halloween, an old and celebrated Celtic tradition.
There is a great variety of events held at the Celtic Festival where in the past bands and musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Brittany (France), Galicia (Spain), and indeed Japan have performed. Such musicians included Capercaille (Scotland), Milladoiro (Galicia), Hirio (Brittany) and Liam 0'Flynn & Arty McGlynn (Ireland). The festival also held its first fashion show by designer Antonia Reilly, in 1996, and it was so successful that another show will be held in 1997 and will feature three Irish fashion designers. Other events include art exhibitions, seminars and workshops, dance performances, a children's corner, a Celtic craftwork exhibition, Celtic food and drink, and indeed drama performances by the Hibernian Players.
This year's Celtic Festival is now being planned and will include a most welcome return of Milladoiro to Japan for CFJ97. For the first time a Celtic music band from Australia called 'The Ragged Band'. There will also be a harp performance by the well-known Welsh harpist Ms. Elinor Bennett, the American harpist Dennis Doyle and the Scottish harpist Wendy Stewart. The Tokyo Pipe Band will also appear. The Japan-based group 'Eye Wish', a group of foreign and Japanese musicians, will play a rousing 'Ceili' (Celtic dance) set and an Irish set dance group Sean-nos from Ireland will also perform. The festival will also feature a selection of celtic-related artists from throughout world including Japan. The festival committee is also planning the first-ever Celtic Film Festival to be held in Japan during Celtic Festival Japan '98. Well-known Japan-based personality C.W. Nicol will also speak at our Celtic seminar series along with Mr. Mamoru Tsuchiya who gave an excellent seminar last year on the history of whiskey-making. This year's Celtic Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before and over the whole day from 12 noon till 10:00pm we are sure that there will be plenty of attractions and events for people to enjoy.
Please feel free to contact the Celtic Festival committee anytime if you have further questions. The committee can be reached at the indicated address.
We also have a contact homepage on the WWW at http://japan.co.jp/~celtic, and at email address: celtic@japan.co.jp
Urban City Todoroki #206, 2-20-5 Todoroki, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158.
Tel/Fax: 03-3701-5656
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