Passim Announces Lineup For 23rd Annual Boston Celtic Music Festival

Festival Takes Place January 15-18, 2026, Across Venues in Cambridge and Somerville, MA

CAMBRIDGE, MA, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Passim has announced the lineup for the 23rd annual Boston Celtic Music Festival (BCMFest) taking place January 15-18, 2026, at venues across Cambridge and Somerville, including Club Passim, Somerville Theatre, Crystal Ballroom, The Burren, The Rockwell, and Arts at the Armory. The four-day celebration will showcase Greater Boston’s deep connections to the music, song, and dance from Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, Quebecois, and other Celtic communities. The full lineup and tickets are available now at passim.org/bcmfest.

Founded in 2003 and produced by Club Passim, BCMFest celebrates the Boston area’s vibrant Celtic community through music, dance, and storytelling.


This year’s festival will feature internationally acclaimed acts Old Blind Dogs, performing Friday at the Arts at the Armory, and Altan, headlining the Nightcap Finale on Saturday at the Somerville Theatre.

“We are excited to have such legendary acts like Altan and Old Blind Dogs be a part of BCMFest this year," says Summer McCall, BCMFest Director. "With the continuous growth of the festival, we are also keeping true to our Boston Celtic music community and will have dozens of local acts join us for multiple nights of music and the fan-favorite Boston Urban Ceilidh dance. With four days of performances, BCMFest gives a platform to rising artists as well as those more established.”
Festival highlights include:
Thursday, January 15:
First Round concert: 7:00 pm at Club Passim featuring Nathan Gourley & Laura Feddersen with Owen Marshall, Diarmuid Ó Meachair with Matt Mulqueen, and Forsyth.
Boston Urban Ceilidh: 7:30 pm at The Crystal Ballroom. A participatory evening of Cape Breton and Scottish dances. No experience is necessary as all dances will be taught and led by an in-time caller. Dance styles include a Cape Breton Square Set and a Scottish Ceilidh.
Friday, January 16:
Roots and Branches Concert: 7:00 pm at Club Passim, presenting an eclectic mix of Celtic-influenced styles, with performances from the Adam Hendey Band, Eric Boodman & Joel Wennerstrom, and Lissa Schneckenburger with Owen Marshall.
Old Blind Dogs: At 8:00 pm, one of Scotland’s greatest traditional bands, Old Blind Dogs, closes out the night at the Arts at the Armory in Somerville. Scottish Fish will open for this legendary band. This event will have both seated options and room for dancing.
Saturday, January 17:
BCMFest Dayfest: 11:00 a.m.– 5:30 p.m. Across multiple venues in Davis Square, including The Crystal Ballroom, The Burren, and The Rockwell, Dayfest offers over seven hours of musical performances and sessions. Performers include Diarmuid Ó Meachair, Jenna Moynihan with Owen Marshall, Neil Pearlman & the Wallbreakers, Joey Abarta, Nathan Gourley & Laura Feddersen with Owen Marshall, Forsyth, Liz Hanley with David McKindley-Ward, Rose Clancy Trio, Elias Cardoso, Flynn Cohen & Matt Heaton, The Simon Lace Trio, Clare Fraser Trio, Accardi, Frankowicz & Straw, McCarthy Kelly Ceili Band, Boston Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, Elizabeth and Ben Anderson, Isabel Oliart Trio, Riko Matsuoka, Dearest Dear, Eamon Sefton Featuring Giulia Haible and Patrick Bowling, Duo Duos, and Rising Artists.
BCMFest Nightcap with Altan – 8:00 p.m. at Somerville Theatre. Capping BCMFest 2026 will be a performance from iconic Irish band Altan. Before their performance, BCMFest will hold "An Honorary Tribute for Brian O'Donovan" recognizing his immeasurable contributions to the Boston Celtic community. Many musicians and friends will join the celebration on stage. All bands from the tribute set will collaborate with Altan throughout the program.
Sunday, January 18:
BCMFest Brunch: 10am -3pm at The Burren. Featuring live Celtic music and great food to close out the weekend.
BCMFest Workshops: The Passim School of Music will host three BCMFest workshops, which will be announced and available for sign-ups in November.
As part of the Nightcap Finale, BCMFest will honor Brian O'Donovan with a special music tribute featuring his wife Lindsay O’Donovan who will play piano, Irish musicians Diarmuid Ó Meachair, and Nathan Gourley & Laura Feddersen with multi-instrumentalist Owen Marshall. Burren owners Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello will join on fiddle, banjo, and accordion along with their children Rose McCarthy on fiddle, Harry McCarthy Giles on fiddle, and Peadar McCarthy Giles on uilleann pipes. The 2026 BCMFest Brian O'Donovan Legacy Artist grant recipients, Scottish Fish will also perform as part of the tribute.

The Brian O’Donovan Legacy Artist grant program was established to help Celtic acts planning upcoming tours in New England. One out of six of grants each year is earmarked for bringing an act to BCMFest. Scottish Fish is the 2026 recipient and will perform multiple times throughout the festival weekend.

As a major supporter of BCMFest and the Celtic music scene, Tommy McCarthy approached festival organizers with the idea to bring the festival finale to The Somerville Theatre and dedicate the night in memory of Brian O’Donovan. Tommy and Louise’s relationship with Brian O’Donovan was deep; he and his wife Louise Costello opened The Burren in January 1996 and in 2011, Brian, the host of WGBH’s radioshow Celtic Sojourn, began hosting the weekly Burren Backroom Series. Brian continued to host the series for 12 years until his passing in October 2023. The series continues as the “Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series.”

BCMFest coincides with The Burren’s 30th anniversary, with special events throughout January to celebrate the occasion, including Altan’s performance as part of BCMFest.

"Our relationship with Brian spans many years, and this night at BCMFest now serves as an annual celebration of all that he contributed to the Celtic community," says Tommy McCarthy, owner of The Burren. "We are proud to host many of the BCMFest performances in The Burren as part of the Dayfest and excited for the Altan concert, as we are childhood friends, and they have graciously agreed to spend the evening with us and pay tribute to Brian. Their performance will be fantastic as always, and it will be made even more superior with familiar faces joining us on stage, making this moment truly special."

Passim’s BCMFest takes place January 15-18, 2026, at Club Passim in Harvard Square and locations in Davis Square in Somerville, including Somerville Theatre, Crystal Ballroom, The Burren, The Rockwell, and Arts at the Armory. The full lineup and schedule, as well as tickets, can be found at passim.org/bcmfest.

About Passim
The mission of Passim is to provide truly exceptional and interactive live musical experiences for both performers and audiences, to nurture artists at all stages of their careers, and to build a vibrant, inclusive music community. Passim does so through its legendary listening venue, music school, artist grants, and community programs. As a nonprofit since 1994, Passim carries on the heritage of its predecessors- the historic Club 47 (1958-1968) and the for-profit Passim (1969-1994). We cultivate a diverse mix of musical traditions, emphasizing the relationship between performers and audience and teachers and students. Located in Harvard Square, Passim serves Cambridge and the broader region by featuring local, national, and international artists. Our ultimate goal is to help the performance arts flourish and thereby enrich the lives of members of our community. For a complete schedule, visit www.passim.org.
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