The award-winning Creative Connexions Ireland: Sitges ’24 Festival will celebrate its 11th year in the breathtaking Catalan town of Sitges from 24-27 October, establishing itself as one of the most important Irish music festivals in Europe.
With a packed schedule, the festival will bring together more than 60 professional Irish performers. Every year, this gathering of artists creates a unique atmosphere of creativity and collaboration, where Irish and Catalan cultures are united, celebrated and showcased, in the beautiful surroundings of the town.
This year, the festival will primarily take place at the Casino Prado de Sitges but the festival atmosphere will spread throughout the town in venues such as Societat Recreativa El Retiro, Cafeteria Montroig, L’Avinyet, El Picnic, La Gralla and Lizarran to name but a few.
There will also be pop-up events throughout the town in designated locations, spreading the festival atmosphere with impromptu performance across Sitges. In addition to the various performances and workshops, a highlight will be the ‘Festival Parade’, touring the main streets of Sitges on Friday from La Fragata to Els Jardins del Prado.
The programme includes more than 50 music and dance performances, workshops and artists-in-conversation, and again this year, one of the most special aspects of this festival will be the gathering of young Irish traditional musicians who will be seen sharing their love of music at the ‘Sitges Sessions’, a dynamic youth programme featuring more than 220 young Irish artists who will travel this year.
This year’s artist line-up will see the welcome return of singers Cathy Jordan, Simon Morgan, percussionist Brian Fleming, along with the many artists who have performed in previous years.
Exciting newcomers to the festival include singers Maria-Doyle Kennedy (The Commitments, The Tudors, and Downton Abbey) and 1993 Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh, harpist Cormac de Barra, multi-instrumentalist Matthew Berrill and whistle player Cormac Breathnach – such is the growing reputation of the festival throughout Irish music circles.
The songs of Brendan Graham with Cathy Jordan and Feargal Murray will also be a highlight, as well as The Dublin Song – a multi-media and live musical celebration of Dublin song and story.
Over the weekend and from the local Sitges music scene, Joan Pinós and Jarrod Cagwin, among others, will also feature in concerts and collaborations.
Other notable events to watch out for are the return of COR Nua, a festival choir of over 50 singers, presenting Estima la Vida/Love Life, under the direction of Duncan Brickenden, along with pianist extraordinaire Vincent Lynch, as well as the dynamic folk orchestra No Crows – a unique group with diverse musical roots, from traditional Irish music, Latin rumba and classical, rock, jazz, Catalan and Balkan music.
As ever, collaboration remains at the heart of this year’s festival, and Coast 2 Coasts will bring together the talents of artists such as Tim Doyle, Matthew Berrill, Simon Morgan and Richie Buckley, promising an exciting contemporary musical response to Irish and Catalan music and themes.
Cafeteria Montroig will play host to a youth stage every night where young people from North, South, East and West of Ireland will rock the venue until late with their pulsating ensemble playing.
Many of the festival activities are offered free of charge. On the event website www.creative-connexions.eu you can consult the programme and you can also buy tickets or go directly to the entrance of each of the concerts.
The Creative Connexions Ireland: Sitges ‘24 Festival is organised by Artscope, a Dublin based company, specialising in the organisation of Celtic music festivals in Ireland and abroad and in the cultural promotion of their country. The festival is supported by Culture Ireland, the Ajuntament de Sitges and its Tourism Department, as well as the Irish Embassy in Madrid. Here at Sitges in English, we are proud to support the festival as media collaborators.
In addition, the event generates an economic impact in the city as it will attract around 2,000 Irish people, many of whom extend their stay until Tuesday 29 October, due to the national holiday weekend in their country.
For all ticket sales and for updates visit the festival’s website at: www.creative-connexions.eu. You can also follow them on Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram.
Click here to follow Sitges in English on Facebook, as well as Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to return to Sitges in English home page. Click here for our full archive of Sitges News reports.
Click here to get your business or services listed on our DIRECTORY.
