Celtic Roots Festival
Posted: 27th October 2025A brand-new celebration of Celtic heritage has arrived in Crickhowell!
The Celtic Roots Festival 2025 is taking place this week, bringing an exciting mix of concerts, talks, pilgrimages and community events to venues across the town. Organised by the Friends of St Edmund’s and St Catwg’s, the Festival is already creating a wonderful buzz as people come together to celebrate faith, culture and creativity in true Celtic spirit.
The Festival opened in style at the Clarence Hall yesterday, when Crickhowell Choral Society was joined by other talented musicians for a concert that filled the Hall with beautiful music and a sense of anticipation for the week ahead.
Other celebrations at the Hall include a lively Twmpath on Friday evening and a special appearance by Dr Rowan Williams on Saturday, offering reflections on Welsh poetry as part of this inspiring new event.
Here’s the organisers’ introduction to the Festival, outlining the inspiration behind this new initiative and some of the highlights planned for the week:
Everyone in the Crickhowell area is invited to join us in celebrating our Celtic cultural heritage. The Festival will provide an opportunity to showcase a great diversity of local talent. A wide range of indoor and outdoor events and activities will take place during the autumn half-term week.
The Festival opens with two outstanding concerts, featuring a choir from Korea and our inspirational local Choral Society. Three Pilgrimage walks have been arranged visiting local churches and ancient monuments on the way. For young people, a Holiday Club and Youth Cafe are taking place during the week and there is an opportunity to celebrate the true message of Halloween – turning darkness into light.
The Celtic saints brought a passionate form of Christianity to Wales in the 5th Century AD onwards. A talk will focus on the life of St Catwg, and all the local churches will celebrate their own patronal saints.
As a climax to the week, we will enjoy a Twmpath party. We will welcome Dr Rowan Williams to give a talk on Welsh poetry and prose and to join us for a celebratory service for all the saints on the final Sunday morning.
The Friends of St Edmund’s and of St Catwg would like to thank everyone who has supported the Festival in so many ways. We will aim to cover our costs with the sale of drinks at the events. Any surplus will be used to help restore our ancient buildings.
For further information, please visit our website: celticroots.org.uk
