Zeltik Festival Draws 550 Visitors for 2nd Day

On Friday 13 March 2026, the 30th edition of the Zeltik Festival, dedicated to Celtic music and culture, continued its programme at the Opderschmelz cultural centre in Dudelange, attracting around 550 visitors.

The second day of the festival opened its doors with the first performance from Canadian world roots band, The Paperboys. The evening programme continued with Irish musician Brian Brody, Scottish band Skerryvore, Scottish fiddler Ryan Young and Spanish Celtic musician Carlos Núñez.

Organisers held the concerts across two stages. The main stage hosted the headliners, while a smaller one hosted musicians who performed between the main sets.

Visitors also enjoyed several food and entertainment stands. These included fish and chips and burgers sold by the local fire department, beer from the Dudelange brewery Twisted Cat, as well as a restaurant stand offering snacks and meals. The venue also featured a photo booth and merchandise stands selling clothing.

Organisers noted that the festival opening day on Thursday 12 March, held at St Martin Church, attracted a similar number of visitors. They also confirmed that the next festival day at Kantin, the brewery in Dudelange, has already sold out.

During the visit of Chronicle.lu, Skerryvore took to the stage and pleased the audience with well known songs before they closed the concert with the debut of a new track from their upcoming album.

The band members wore earth tone outfits, with some including elements of Highland dress, while one member wore a full traditional Scottish kilt. The band brought strong energy to the stage and the audience responded with clapping and singing along. Others enjoyed the performance from the second floor of the auditorium where the venue offers seated places.

The musicians delivered a high quality performance supported by the light show. The concert offered a musical selection that stemmed between pop and rock and included solo performances where each member could take the spotlight and showcase their long mastered skills on traditional Celtic instruments, such as bagpipes, fiddles and accordions, accompanied by drums, bass and guitars. 

Speaking with Chronicle.lu, John Rech, Director of the Opderschmelz cultural centre, emphasised the strong musical diversity of this year’s programme, which brought together a wide range of instruments and styles. Musicians performed with instruments such as violin, fiddle, bagpipes, guitar and organ, alongside both vocal and instrumental pieces.

As the concerts took place across three different venues, John Rech highlighted the importance of adapting to each setting. He recalled the concert programme from the day before and explained that playing in a church requires a different approach than performing on a typical stage. “You have some musicians that think they can do it and you have some that can really do it,” he noted, adding that this year’s artists understood how to use the space and acoustics of the church.

He added that the audience responded very positively. As he noted, people told the organisers that the event felt “really great,” and the festival continued to attract both long-time visitors and newcomers.

Asked about any special approach for the festival’s anniversary, John Rech explained that the organisers focused on creating an atmosphere throughout the venue. They used more decorations, national flags, themed spaces and special lighting to make the event “a nice place to spend time with friends”.

John Rech said that visitors reacted very positively to the festival and that he pays close attention to how the audience experiences the event. “I like to see their reactions,” he noted, explaining that he often watches the crowd during performances. While the overall feedback remained very positive, he joked that the only real complaint from visitors concerned the weather. “The only thing people were really complaining about was the heavy rain outside,” he said.

The evening concluded with an after-show party, taking place at Kantin, featuring Authentica, Brian Brody and the Zeltik Session.