International Festival of Celtic Music of Ortigueira

This summer festival is a must and one of the world’s reference points of Folk music, Ortigueira´s Festival has become, on its own merits, in one of the most massively attended musical events all over Spain. Its magnitude already exceeds the musical part, to be consolidated as an open space where people from different tribes from all over the world come together.

Little more than that spirit of freedom and the folkloric character of the event are left of that first festival in 1978, thanks to the efforts of the Ortigueira´s Bagpipe School, led by Xavier Garrote. A visionary idea which became successful thanks to the help of all the villagers, in spite of the rather unfavorable official environment- it had to be suspended for over 5 years.

In 2000, the foundations for what today is a genuine Cultural Industry were laid; at the same time the Festival broadened its musical horizons towards other types of music which do not have to be strictly Celtic.

The efforts in the previous festivals range from improving the facilities- free buses, supervised car parks, showers, toilets, information services- to make the stay of the thousands of visitors that packed the village more comfortable and the facilities of Morouzos Beach, to paying special attention to the music programme. The Folk stars choose the Ortigueira stages to launch their latest albums- Estrella Galicia Stage- and the Runas Project becomes a springboard for new bands.

Due to the importance of the festival, organized by the Ortigueira Council, it was assigned the status of being an Event of National Touristic Importance in 2003 by the Spanish Ministry of Economy. But this acknowledgement would go even further. In 2005 the festival joined the exclusive group of International Tourist Attraction events. The impulse of this festival - about 100,000 people in the previous ones- or its role in the projection of Galicia and Spain in other countries were just two factors that made this festival achieve its recognition. What else can we ask for?

More information here