Céili of the Valley Society hosted their 6th annual Samhain Celtic New Year Festival celebrating the seven Celtic nations in October with a special focus on Scotland. This year was a hybrid festival that combined both four in-person live events, virtual events and on-line content.

The Festival opened up with a return to our first in-person ceili of the year at the VFW Hall. The Pan-Celtic was cultural opportunity to experience dancing dances from the different Celtic nations. Continuation of more in-person events included workshops: Native Plant Stories Connecting Oregon and Ireland and Celtic Harp Hands-On Workshop. Live concerts were Celtic Harps, Rare Instruments & Wondrous Stories and Scottish band, The Fire.

The Festival wrapped up with a virtual Whisky Tasting event with Bill Mullen. Bill gave a list of six whiskys that participants could purchase to taste and then Zoom in to learn about the origins, history, process, geography,of these whiskys.

Visit our website, celticfestival.info, for music from both local and international groups!  Go on a journey from your armchair for cultural experiences that include: dance, historical sites, food and drinks. Also, visit and subscribe to the Samhain Festival YouTube channel.

The Festival was Supported by Transient Occupancy grant from the City of Salem, Marion Cultural Development Corporation, Real Systems, and The Summit Group of Oregon.