Camping Cèilidh 2024

Seumas Gagne, Christine Traxler, Christian Hoffman, Suzanne Taylor, and Alicia Guinn, longtime colaborators in Irish and Scottish music and dance, are looking forward to welcoming friends old and new to Camping Cèilidh! The group brings a wealth of knowledge of Irish dance tunes, Scottish Gaelic songs, traditional Irish and Scottish songs in English, and Irish and Scottish social dance that guarantee a well rounded celebration!

We have booked the group camp site at Deception Pass State Park which can host around 40 people. It is on the eastern shore of Cranberry lake, so a little further removed from the ocean, but also far removed from the rest of the camp sites. Read more about Deception Pass and the group camp site.

Camping Cèilidh includes a little bit of gentle organization. Times and places will be set aside for specific sessions to be sure that tune players get to play lots of tunes and singers get to sing lots of songs.

We will also be joining all together for a cèilidh each evening at which everyone is welcome to share.

Alicia Guinn will be facilitating Irish social dance sessions, so remember to pack a pair of leather-soled shoes! Learn more about Alicia here: aliciaguinn.com

Immersive game-play Scottish Gaelic language sessions will also be presented.

There will be a potluck on Friday evening that you can participate in if you like.

A full schedule of events and additional details will be sent to registrants in advance.

The Camping Cèilidh team has produced two books for participants: The Book of Common Tunes and Leabhar nan Òran Cumanta. The first is a collection of mostly Irish dance tunes selected by Suzanne from The Session website at thesession.org. The latter is a collection of leadsheets with melody, suggested chords, and lyrics for well-known songs in Scottish Gaelic compiled and edited by Seumas.

PDF editions of both will be emailed to all registered participants prior to the event. Along with your registration, you can also purchase a printed copy which will be available for you to pick up at the event.

Registration is available to those 18 years or older. Kids are welcome to attend with their parents or guardians.

Arrival day will be Thursday, August 1st and departure day will be Sunday, August 5th. If you decide to arrive late or leave early that will not change what it costs us for the group site, so no change to your registration fee will be offered.

Cancelations received by July 30th 2024 will receive a full refund. Cancelations received between August 1st and the start of the event will receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be available for cancelations received during the event.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Deception Pass State Park, 41229 State Route 20, Oak Harbor, United States