Every June long weekend, the quiet coastal town of Portarlington transforms into something altogether different, and this year, the National Celtic Folk Festival is pulling out all the stops.
Back for another edition across 5–8 June, the festival fans out across more than 10 venues in the Bellarine Peninsula town, threading traditional music, theatre, sport, food, and dance through laneways and halls all weekend long.
Whether you’re a lifelong trad obsessive or simply after a reason to escape the city for a long winter weekend, the program rewards both.
National Celtic Folk Festival
- When: 5-8 June
- Where: Portarlington, Victoria
- Tickets here
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
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The international headline acts
The overseas contingent is genuinely impressive this year. Connemara siblings Séamus and Caoimhe arrive with serious momentum, fresh from taking out Best Emerging Artists at the RTÉ Folk Awards and a stint on Riverdance’s 25th anniversary tour in New York.
Dublin’s Saltaire make the trip alongside rising trad favourites The Bath Street Boys, Scottish harp and fiddle duo Rebecca Hill & Charlie Stewart, and the pairing of Amy Henderson & Luc McNally.
Rounding out the international roster is Astro Bloc, a new-wave outfit doing something genuinely adventurous with Celtic tradition, genre-defying in the best possible sense.
The local contingent
Australia’s folk scene holds its own here. Neo-trad outfit Amaidí bring high-energy, dance-driven sets; award-winners Austral fold in distinctly Australian textures, didgeridoo included, alongside their Celtic influences.
Returning crowd favourites Claymore, Double Shot Maggie, and The Maes are back on the bill, with Lucy Wise, Maggie Carty, Out of Hand, and Homebru rounding out a rich local showing. Hat Fitz & Cara bring a rootsy, road-worn energy built on years of touring across the globe.
Theatre, stories, and new work
The festival has always been more than music, and this year’s theatre strand delivers. Acclaimed performer Michael Veitch presents Hell Ship, a personal and powerful account of survival and migration. A new Australian work, Never Always Ever Was, gets its world premiere here, developed through the festival’s ongoing partnership with C21 Theatre in Ireland.
Sport, dance, and community
Traditional heavy games and hurling return, with a world championship play-off on the cards. The céilí dance program offers participatory events and workshops across the weekend for all experience levels, while massed pipe and drum bands, competitions, and concerts fill out the schedule. F
amilies are well looked after too. Balla Wiin – Spirit of Country is an interactive shadow play experience rooted in the living traditions of Wadawurrung Country, one of the genuine highlights of the program. And if you fancy something a little different, a visiting tall ship is moored up and open for exploration.
Food, drink, and the market
Irish chef Declan McGovern is running the kitchen, with traditional Irish cooking on the menu, including a full Irish breakfast and old-fashioned cook-offs. A weekend market brings together local artisans, handmade goods, and plenty of food and drink stalls. Mulled wine, naturally, is part of the picture.
With over 60 acts across four days, this is a festival worth building a weekend around. Portarlington in winter has never had a better excuse.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with National Celtic Folk Festival.
