Review: CELTIC CONNECTIONS OPENING CONCERT, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
The festival runs until 1 February 2026
Now in its 33rd year, Celtic Connections festival kicks off 18 days of music in Glasgow. This worldwide celebration of culture and music is by far the best reason to leave the house during the dark nights of January.
The opening concert gives you a taste of what lies ahead over the next few weeks and this year’s event focused on world connections. The two-and-a-half-hour concert featured singers and musicians from Gambia (Sona Jobarteh), Canada (Rose Cousins), Morocco (Mohamed Errebbaa), Mali (Rokia Koné), Palestine (Amal Kaawash) and Scotland (RURA). Hosted by Kathleen MacInnes who was also a featured vocalist, this celebration of the festival also took a wider look at Glasgow’s position as a hosting city for the Commonwealth Games.
As always, its a very respectful and attentive audience of music lovers at Celtic Connections. The concert hall is a wonderful venue for sound and atmosphere and there were many ‘pin drop’ moments, although when explicitly invited, the crowd are more than happy to join in.
The Celtic Connections stage highlights both established musicians and newcomers and one of the things their programming does best is bring acts together for wonderful group performances.
Once again, the Celtic Connections opening concert sets the bar for the rest of the festival with world-class performances and a dedicated and rapt audience.
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