Romanza-St. Augustine Inc. and event organizers announced that the St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival and the St. Patrick Parade, two events that ran in tandem with each other, will cease to exist.
The two-day event featured traditional and Celtic rock bands from Ireland, Scotland and Canada, plus food, vendors and athletic competitions known as the Highland Games.
“The difficult decision to end these events came after several years of significantly reduced government support, bad weather and several other adverse developments,” the organizers stated publicly.
According to a news release, the organizers cited a lack of state grants for arts and culture events for the past two years, declining support from local government, difficulties with U.S. work visa bureaucracy, and increased costs of supplies and labor.
Founded in 2011, the St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival grew into one of North Florida’s premier cultural events, drawing audiences to Francis Field for performances by international and U.S. Celtic bands, authentic Highland Games, Celtic artisans, heritage food, whiskey tastings, workshops, lectures and family activities.
The festival highlighted St. Augustine’s unique Celtic legacy, including the city’s claim to have celebrated America’s first St. Patrick’s Day procession in 1601.
“It has been a celebration of heritage, friendship, volunteer spirit, and the extraordinary story of St. Augustine as America’s Oldest Celtic City,” Albert Syles, president of Romanza-St. Augustine, said in a news release.
Through its 15-year lifespan, the St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival has earned regional and national recognition with two nods as one of the top 10 cultural festivals in the United States.
Its stages welcomed celebrated Celtic performers from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and the U.S., while its Highland Games, parade traditions and cultural programming connected residents and visitors to centuries of shared history.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Augustine Celtic festival and St. Patrick’s Day parade to end
Reporting by Lucia Viti, St. Augustine Record / St. Augustine Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lucia Viti, St. Augustine Record | USA TODAY Network
