Celtic Connections (20 Jan – 6 Feb 2022) have announced that they will now also run a digital programme following the news last week that a number of shows and elements within the Celtic Connections 2022 programme could no longer able to go ahead due to the uncertainty and disruption caused by the Omicron variant.
The online programme will include more than 12 hours of unique filmed live performances available for audiences to enjoy online around the world. In response to covid restrictions, the festival ran their first-ever digital Celtic Connections in early 2021, attracting audiences from over 60 countries and selling over 27,000 tickets and passes.
The festival have said that the online programme will launch on Wednesday 26th January and will run for three weeks, showcasing performances from some of the most exciting acts spanning traditional folk, roots, Americana, jazz, soul and world music.
They added:
The opening week of the festival will also now see a series of new live filmed sessions hosted at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. These intimate gatherings will give up to 200 people the unique opportunity to see some of their favourite Celtic Connections acts recording live performances.
A full programme including artist line up and ticketing information for these new elements of the festival will be shared next week.
Unfortunately, some in-person shows originally due to take place between 20th – 23rd January were sold for capacities greater than the Scottish Government’s current Covid event audience limit of 200 people seated or without allowing for one metre physical distancing. As such, these cannot go ahead and ticketholders for these shows will be issued with a full refund. For shows now being filmed, previous ticketholders will get access to priority booking for the filming session equivalent of that show. Any remaining tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. A small number of larger-scale shows will also be rescheduled until later in the year so they can be enjoyed by audiences in the form originally intended.
Although the festival has not been able to return on the scale initially planned, and the majority of programmed shows have been impacted in some way, we are still working extremely hard to stage as many performances as we can in 2022.
We are continuing to engage with the Scottish Government regarding in-person shows due to take place from 24th January onwards and will be able to confirm our approach in line with any ongoing restrictions following the First Minister’s update next week.
Visit the festival website for more details: https://www.celticconnections.com/