Celtic Connections is a music festival, showcasing a broadly ‘Celtic’ style. The types of music include modern Celtic rock, dance, big bands, choral performances, international folk superstars, and theatre, as well as traditional pipe bands and ceilidhs. The festival started in 1994 in Glasgow and is now held there every January. In terms of participation, the first festival was launched in just one venue, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, attracting around 35,000 people. In 2008, approximately 120,000 people filled nine venues across the city, attracting hundreds of artists brought to Glasgow from all over the world. In addition, the Festival’s Education Programme sees thousands of children attend free morning concerts, experiencing the range of Celtic styles. Celtic Connections also continues to play a vital role in nurturing new talent through its Young Tradition and Master & Apprentice series of concerts.

An economic impact assessment of the 2007 Celtic Connections Festival was carried out by Glasgow Grows Audiences, facilitated by a £15,000 grant from EventScotland. This study showed that visitors generated £5.8 million of new output to the Glasgow City Council area (in comparison with £3 million in 2001). It was established that there was a total of £6.9 million new output to Scotland – for every £1 of funding, the festival was calculated to have generated £31 in return. Furthermore, the study revealed that 91% of festivalgoers visiting from outwith Greater Glasgow said that Celtic Connections was their sole or main reason for visiting the city.