Celebrating the historical significance of the Scottish heritage of people for whom Belle Mont was built in the early 1800s, the Belle Mont Celtic Fest is an outdoor festival featuring world-class Celtic musicians, performing the music of Scotland and Ireland. This year’s festival will be headlined by the Steel City Rovers on U.S. tour from Ontario, Canada. Also slated to perform during the two-day event are Chambless and Muse, Piper Jones Band and Ed Miller.

On Friday, May 12, 10:00 – 4:00, free pre-festival events at Belle Mont will serve as a kick-off to the Celtic Fest.  At 11:00 a.m. folklorist and author Joyce Cauthen will be joined by her husband, Jim Cauthen, performing fiddle tunes on the courtyard and discussing Celtic and African influence on the music that developed in early America and in Appalachia, influences that can be heard today in the famous “Muscle Shoals Sound.” At noon, a discussion describing the trends of Scots-Irish migration into the Tennessee Valley and the influence of their settlement in early Alabama will be led by Dr. George Makowski, Professor of Public History at the University of North Alabama.  A demonstration and showing of Gordon Setters will take place at 1:00 p.m. 

On Friday evening the outdoor stage will come alive with the festival headliners performing from 6:00 until 9:00. Concert admission, cash preferred, at the gate is $20.00 adult, $5.00 youth, ages 13-18, and free for kids 12 years and under.  Gate admission for the all-day Saturday festival is $20.00 adult, $5.00 youth 13-15 years, kids 12 and under free. All adult tickets are discounted to $15.00 if purchased in advance through Event Brite or by calling the museum at 256-381-5052 to pay by credit card. Saturday tickets include admission to the historic museum. You are invited to bring chairs and blankets for seating. In case of severe weather, the festival will move to Northwest Shoals Community College.