Guinness Irish Festival

When you love, you don't count. This could be the maxim of the Guinness Irish Festival, which will be held for the 30th time from August 6 to 8 on the Plaine des Îles in Sion. The festival's longevity can be explained by the passion that drives both its organizers and its loyal audience, who come from all over Europe to dance and vibrate to the sounds of legendary bands and new discoveries alike. The line-up for this 30th edition is rich and varied.

When you're in love, you're ready to travel all over the world - or almost - to keep in touch with loyal groups or spot the nuggets that keep Celtic music alive and kicking. This is the recipe that enables the Guinness Irish Festival to offer year after year a program that harmoniously blends tradition and discovery. The 30th Guinness Irish Festival will feature a richly diverse line-up of 12 groups over three evenings of shared passion!

A case in point is the opening show on Thursday, August 6, featuring Trip, six Scotsmen with the talent and boundless energy to serve up music rooted in tradition but tinged with contemporary audacity. A brilliant opening act.

They will be followed on the Isles stage by another Scottish band of the same calibre, Cala. This will warm up the audience before the headliner: Michael McGoldrick Big Band. A world-renowned Irish band. And to round off this Thursday, bagpipes revisited by Ross Miller and his band, in the tradition of the Red Hot Chili Pipers.

The mix will be a little more explosive on Friday August 7, with a journey through the Celtic lands of Europe. Ireland's CUAS will bring the typical ambience of the Emerald Isle to the Valais, between the wind pounding the cliffs and the warmth of the pubs where musicians and dancers gather. Then it's off to Italy, with the progressive Celtic rock of Fragment. Scotland's Skerryvore will then rock the Plaine des Îles with their unique fusion of folk, rock, trad and pop. Those of you who were there in 2013 will still remember them! And to round off this musical voyage in style, Sir Reg, an unlikely encounter between Swedish musicians and an Irish singer, will take the audience on an energetic Celtic punk rock journey.

Over the years, the Guinness Irish Festival has always made room for Swiss bands. And when you like it, you don't change your habits. This year, the Swiss touch will be provided by Schaffhausen musicians as passionate as they are talented: Kerry The Dog. After this local opening, it's on to North America, with two groups with different styles, but driven by the same passion for their lands and their music. Hailing from New Brunswick, La Famille LeBlanc will bring their lively, inspired melodies, demonstrating that it's possible to be rooted in tradition and open to the world. Le Vent du Nord will then bring the warmth of their lively, invigorating Quebecois music, which has already worked wonders on the Islands in 2014 and 2019. And to conclude this 30th edition, the explosive mix of punk and rock from Italy's The Beggars will serve as a real fireworks finale.

3 evenings, 12 concerts, 6 nations, 30th edition, 1 passion. That's the Guinness Irish Festival 2026 in a nutshell. When you love it, you count it!

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.