24th Celtic Classic Was a Successful One

There were torrential downpours for the first day of the 24th annual Celtic Classic a week ago, but the three-day festival was still a great success, drawing more than 220,000 to downtown Bethlehem, organizers said this week.

“We are very pleased with this year's festival, even though it rained Friday night" said Jayne Ann Recker, Executive Director of Celtic Cultural Alliance, the nonprofit organization that produces Celtic Classic. "The true success of this year's festival comes from our community support. Our volunteers, corporate sponsors, the City of Bethlehem and our patrons really are the backbone to our success."

Despite the bad weather on Friday night, Celtic Classic still had large crowds. Food and beverage sales which helped the festival pull through, according to a news release. Festival tents were packed on both Saturday and Sunday.

This year, Celtic Classic featured a new tent called the Jamesons Irish Pub, expanded offerings at Celtic Crossroads, new social media efforts including the Lehigh Valley's first Iphone application for a festival and enhanced musical offerings. 

"We are extremely motivated by our results this year. We are pleased to be expanding our offerings and growing our festival," said Recker.  "We have already started planning for next year's 25th anniversary Celtic Classic which will run September 28th, 29th and 30th, 2012 in Downtown Historic Bethlehem."