Celtic Connections Festival 2020 gets underway in Glasgow

The Celtic Connections festival starts today, 16th January, in Glasgow, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Glaschu, Alba). The Festival began in 1994 in Glasgow and has since been held annually every January. Celtic Connections celebrates Celtic music and its connections to cultures across the globe. It is on from 16 January – 2 February 2020, when 2,100 musicians from around the world will descend on Glasgow and for 18 days there will be concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art exhibitions, workshops, and free events. Information on the event can be obtained from the Celtic Connections website.

One of the star attractions of the event will be Scotland's largest puppet, standing at nearly 33 feet (10 metres) called Storm. It was made from entirely recycled materials over two years with the aim of spreading a message about the environment, in what its makers, Vision Mechanics, describe as:  "to encourage us all to celebrate our seas, care for our coastlines and empower us all to put the environment first."  Storm will be paraded, aided by eight puppeteers, through the streets of Glasgow on Saturday 18 January as part of Celtic Connections. The puppet is also set to make other appearances throughout Scotland in what is Scotland’s official year of Coasts and Waters 2020. This is a celebration of the history and culture of Scotland’s waterways.