The Georgia Straight proudly sponsors CelticFest Vancouver 2012 concerts

The eighth-annual CelticFest Vancouver is in full swing, and this week promises even more authentic Celtic music, dance, and family entertainment until Sunday (March 18). With nearly 70 free and ticketed concerts and events on at various Vancouver venues, here are some of the major events happening during the duration of the festival.

From Texas to Tipperary pay homage to Celtic traditions with Americana roots music on Thursday (March 15) at 8 p.m. at the Stadium Club at Edgewater Casino (750 Pacific Boulevard). Some of Canada’s top Celtic, blues, and roots singer-songwriters take the stage, performing music that flourished during the Irish and Scottish settlement in North America. From Texas to Tipperary features Jim Byrnes, Roy Forbes, Steve Dawson, Babe Gurr, T. Nile, Fish and Bird, The Matinée, and Farrell Spence, as well as the CelticFest House Band (Adrian Dolan on accordion, piano, and fiddle; Keona Hammond on flute; Kalissa Hernandez on fiddle; Darren Parris on bass; and Tom Landa on guitars). Tickets to From Texas to Tipperary are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. This is a 19+ show.

The following night (March 16 at 8 p.m.), The San Patricios Concert—From Galway to Guadalajara fills the Stadium Club at Edgewater Casino. This concert features cross-cultural collaborations between Celtic and Mexican musicians, which were inspired by the St. Patrick’s Battalion (The San Patricios), when disaffected Irish immigrants to the U.S. joined the Mexican army in 1846. The San Patricios Concert will include performances by Mariachi Los Dorados, Locarno, The Paperboys, and the CelticFest House Band. Tickets to The San Patricios Concert—From Galway to Guadalajara are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. This is a 19+ show.

Tickets to From Texas to Tipperary and The San Patricios Concert—From Galway to Guadalajara can be purchased online, by calling Tickets Tonight at 604-684-2787, or in person at the Tickets Tonight booth at the Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre (200 Burrard Street).0>

On St. Patrick’s Day (Saturday, March 17 at 8 p.m.), CelticFest Vancouver presents BIG St. Pat’s Night Out, featuring Delhi 2 Dublin with special guests Luxembourg’s Dream Cather at the Vogue Theatre (918 Granville Street). Canadian group Delhi 2 Dublin got their start on stage at CelticFest Vancouver six years ago, and now the band has performed their unique mashup of bhangra, Celtic, dub, reggae, and electronic music to audiences around the world. Tickets to BIG St. Pat’s Night Out are $30 in advance by calling the Vogue Theatre box office at 604-569-1144 or in-person at the Vogue Theatre box office (918 Granville Street) and $35 at the door.

On Saturday and Sunday (March 17 to 18), take the entire family down to the Celtic Village (Granville Street between Georgia and Smithe Streets), where musicians, artists, performers in costume, and vendors will be filling the streets from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. On Sunday, the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade gets underway at 11 a.m., beginning at Howe and Drake Streets, marching north on Howe Street to Georgia Street, and ending at Georgia and Granville Streets. The free parade draws in more than 300,000 spectators each year, and features pipers, drummers, Celtic music and dance groups, the Vancouver police and fire brigades, acrobats, stilt walkers, collector cars, and more.