Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival returns to downtown Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Caloosahatchee Celtic Festival returned to Fort Myers this weekend, bringing together music, food and Celtic culture for what organizers expect to be a record-breaking year.

The festival celebrates Celtic heritage with performances of Scottish, and Irish music at the Caloosa Sound Amphitheater. Visitors can also enjoy food, beer, and shop for traditional clothing.

“The goal is really just to have a good, affordable time that is approachable for families," said Brian Craig, event manager for the city of Fort Myers.

The 23rd annual festival kicked off on Saturday morning as people filtered through the gates into the afternoon.

New this year, the Foundation for Scottish Athletics hosted a highlands game demonstration, where people performed traditional Celtic games, like caber toss.

Craig said the city expects a record-breaking 7,500 people to visit this weekend. The festival normally attracts between 5,000 and 6,000 people, according to the city. Craig said beer sales will support local groups, including the Fort Myers Police Athletic League.

Some visitors told FOX 4 they stopped by for the music. Bands traveled from Ireland and Scotland to perform, including the Screaming Orphans and Albannach.

Local performers also took the stage, including the Kellyn Celtic Arts Dance class. Michelle Murphy and Kim Williams drove down from Sarasota County on Saturday.

"Oh, it's wonderful," Murphy said. "Relaxing. Everybody's happy."

"You can't have Celtic without a party," Williams said.

Chelsi and Aric Dodd of Cape Coral stopped by with their 5-year-old, Mila. The Dodd's said this is their first time at the Fort Myers Celtic festival.

"It's a beautiful, sunny day in Florida," Aric said. "Might as well come out and enjoy a good time."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.