The Boston Urban Ceilidh partners up at Crystal Ballroom on Friday, 12 January 2024.

Cape Breton, Highland Dance Boston, Scottish Ceilidh – it’s a lot.

Ramblxr closes out the evening with some Celtic-flavored EDM.

The 21st Annual Boston Celtic Music Fest unfolded from January 11-14, bringing to life the sights and sounds of your favorite Vikings episode.

The pale and pale-at-heart rejoiced, raised a glass, and quaffed in good health at clubs and music halls across Cambridge and Somerville.

The eye of the storm seemed to be Club Passim, a sort of strategic headquarters from which the BCMF admins issued orders, deployed forces, and surveyed the battlefield.

A phalanx of bagpipers here. A squadron of fiddlers there. On diverse stages, from The Burren to The Rockwell, the battle raged.

But nowhere was the fighting as thick and bloody as at the Boston Urban Ceilidh at Crystal Ballroom on Friday night.

They say there’s strength in numbers. Also, confusion, tumult, exaltation, and joy. There was all of the above at the sold out music hall above the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square.

The people arrived with the promise of learning a few new Celtic steps, or practicing some old favorites. A “caller” kept the crowd in line, walking the newbies through their paces. Some ceilidh ringers were sprinkled throughout the hall, either professionals or enthusiastic amateurs, conducting their fellow dancers at closer quarters.

The night started with some Cape Breton traditional dances. A performance by Highland Dance Boston gave the room a brief breather. Then it was back into the whirling dervish of a dancefloor for the Scottish ceilidh.

Bombs exploded, palms sweated, lives were lost. But godammnit, we danced. We danced on the beaches, we danced on the landing grounds, we danced in the fields and in the streets, we danced in the hills. And we never surrendered.

Also, Celtic EDM is a thing. It’s Ramblxr!

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