The 2025 Celtic Colours line up has been announced! The Chestico Museum is pleased to be hosting three events during the Festival.
On Friday, October 10th the museum will host Lifting Spirits and Feet with Celtic Musicat 1 PM. This event brings together tips and tools for getting the most out of your Celtic Colours experience. There will be exploration of the local Celtic music, dance, and tea rituals, with a few sweets to enjoy as well. After welcome and introductions, Michelle Greenwell takes the audience through square set patterns, then a break for local teas, cheese and other Cape Breton delights. A great way to begin your Cape Breton Island experience. The cost is $10.
On Wednesday, October 15th at 2 PM, a Storytelling Session entitled Waking the Dead will be held at the museum. Local storytellers will share Cape Breton traditions surrounding death, wakes, funerals, and how customs have evolved over time. Tea will be served. Admission is $10.
A roast beef dinner with all the trimmings is available that afternoon at St. Peter’s Parish Hall beginning at 4:00 PM. The meal is sponsored by the Port Hood Knights of Columbus. The cost is $30.
Our Close to the Floor show will be that evening at 7:30 PM at Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou. In the world of Cape Breton step dancing, being “close to the floor” is about more than technique. It is a way of dancing that keeps the feet light, the movements grounded, and the rhythm tight to the music. It’s also a compliment of the highest order. This annual showcase of dance celebrates that powerful connection between music and movement. A Timeless Art delights audiences with their incredible footwork, high-energy performances, and very intentional creative works. Under the direction of Dawn Beaton and Jenny MacKenzie, this collective of professional dancers honours Gaelic Cape Breton step dance culture through storytelling, visual arts, exploration, mentorship, and performance. Formed by a dynamic group of world-class and award-winning dancers from Nova Scotia and Ontario, Change of Step came together with a shared vision to breathe new life into traditional highland dancing. They perform original choreography rooted in Scottish tradition yet shaped by modern influences. Through interpretation of the music that inspires them to dance, their exciting performances showcase the musicality, grace, and athleticism of highland dancing. Providing the soundtrack tonight are three duos with deep roots in traditional music—fiddler and piano player Howie MacDonald and his nephew Iain MacQuarrie, a piano player with a love for Scottish tunes and an old-style step dance background; Rachel Davis and Darren McMullen, respected artists in both traditional and folk circles; and Sèamus & Caoimhe, a brother-sister duo from the Connemara area of Ireland known as skilful sean-nós singing and accomplished multi-instrumentalists. Good luck sitting still through this concert where music becomes movement and movement becomes music.
Tickets cost $45 and are available through the Celtic Colours site. A limited number will be available at the Chestico Museum. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, July 8th at 10 AM ADT. More information on tickets can be accessed here.
We look forward to seeing you this year during Celtic Colours!
The Chestico Museum will host a talk by Dr. Karly Kehoe, Professor of History & Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at St. Mary’s University, on Tuesday, June 24 at 7 PM.
Scotland Displaced: Resilience in Cape Breton’s Backland Communities will explore the links between clearance, displacement, and resilience. It will consider how displaced people from three of Scotland’s Western Isles (Barra, Eigg and South Uist) survived in Cape Breton Island’s “wilderness lands” settlements between 1810 and 1850.
Tea will be served.
Admission is free – donations gratefully accepted.
Join Nova Scotia’s Halftime 50-50 Draw for your weekly chance to win big, while supporting our province’s rich heritage!
What’s the Halftime 50-50 Draw? It’s simple! Buy a ticket for your chance to win half the jackpot, while the other half goes toward celebrating and preserving Nova Scotia’s heritage. It’s a win-win for you and our community! You choose where proceeds from your ticket purchase go—support the Chestico Museum by selecting us from the drop-down menu. With dozens of heritage organizations across the province participating, the pot will grow bigger, faster—giving you the chance to win more!
How It Works:
Participants purchase tickets online.
Participants select the organization of their choice to receive proceeds from their purchase.
Draws take place weekly, every Tuesday at 7:30pm, in person at the Halifax Forum Bingo Hall (2901 Windsor Street).
The winner will be announced live at the Halifax Forum Bingo Hall when the draw takes place, and the winner be posted online by noon the following day.
Half of the proceeds go to the grand prize winner.
The other half supports heritage organizations in Nova Scotia.
Repeat weekly!
Get Your Tickets Weekly Before the Draw Time (Tuesday, 7:30pm)
