Montelago Celtic Festival

A full list of locations at the festival:

Main Stage

The stage of stages. The scene of all scenes. Emanating from the Main Stage, great passion permeates the surroundings and countless flavours of folk music light up a thousand faces. Dedicated to the People of Montelago.

Mortimer Pub

The soul of the Festival. Centre of the village, offering shade and shelter amid music, dancing, toasts, and new encounters. The place where all the good vibrations of the Celtic Apennine world resound. Mortimer Pub is all this and much, much more. Dedicated to the legendary Mortimer McGrave!

Opening Hours

THURSDAY 1st AUGUST – from 12:00 until 02:00 on Friday

FRIDAY 2nd AUGUST – from 10:00 until 3:30 on Saturday

SATURDAY 3rd AUGUST – from 10:30 until sunrise the next morning

Opening Hours

THURSDAY 1st AUGUST – from 12:00 until 02:00 on Friday

FRIDAY 2nd AUGUST – from 10:00 until 3:30 on Saturday

SATURDAY 3rd AUGUST – from 10:30 until sunrise the next morning

Tolkien Tent

Dedicated to the genius creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the Tolkien Tent is a place of knowledge, a cradle of the spirit. Open from morning till late, this year it hosts Edoardo Rialti, Italian translator of George R. R. Martin, the conferences of the Italian Tolkien Studies Association, Loredana Lipperini with her new book, Cesare Catà's presentations/shows, and much more destined to leave its mark on the 2019 edition of the Festival.

Montelago Front Stage

In front of the main stage is a small gazebo quarter that’s home to the Info-point, information and assistance point; the Gadget shop, where you can buy Montelago souvenirs; the Utility shop, with indispensable products for a comfortable stay at the Festival (insect repellent, organic soap and shampoo, condoms, toothbrushes, toothpaste, sunscreen and absorbents); and the Artist meeting point, where you can meet the performers for photos, chats, autographs, and merchandise.

Opening hours:

Thursday 1st AUGUST from 9:00–24:00

Friday 2nd AUGUST from 9:00–24:00

Saturday 3rd AUGUST from 9:00–24:00

Montelago Square

Offering local food shopping and a rejuvenating siesta in the shade, the marquee in the heart of the Montelago campground is home to: a mini-market selling the best of local products (bread, fruit and vegetables, meat for the grill, etc.), and role-playing tournaments for Cthulhu, Bang !, D & D.

Music Gazebos

Harp Gazebo

A tent dedicated to the harp – principal folklore instrument of the European countries in the Celtic region – where the Academy’s most beguiling, sardonic and elegant instructor, Katia Zunino, is ready to welcome you with her classes and unforgettable performances.

Bagpipe Gazebo

The place to experience the Celtic world’s most powerful and evocative instrument, the Scottish bagpipes, through the courses of veteran Montelago maestro, Lorenzo Forconi.

Guitar Gazebo

For those who’d like to discover the six-stringed magic of the folk music world, you’re in the right gazebo! Maestro Gabriele Possenti awaits you with his course on Celtic style acoustic guitar, while Tommaso di Leo presents his course on rhythm and accompaniment guitar.

Whistle Gazebo

Home of the typical six-holed metal flute, the whistle, this year directed by Dario Gisotti. In addition to learning from the precious insights of a new instructor, you can also purchase Montelago flutes.

Historic Encampment

Fortebraccio Veregrense master-at-arms Behoram Uallace awaits you in his typical Historic Encampment located in the heart of the festival. It’s an early medieval village with dozens of recreations and structures, examples of daily life, demonstrations of experimental archeology, military training, and the unmissable Celtic Weddings: 19 ceremonies in the perfect locale to render even more evocative the moment of the Celtic style “I do”.

Activities

Bronze casting – Leatherworking – Axe-throwing – Live early medieval music – and the cold-steel battle re-enactment by the CIRCLE OF HONOR.

You can participate in the camp's life as long as you have a tent and historic costume.

For more information send an e-mail to fortebraccioscrima@gmail.com

Also within the historic encampment, the Montelago Academy presents courses in Historical Archery, Ancient Fencing, Scottish Dance, Incense-making and Falconry.

Avalon Arena

Inspired by the legendary island where King Arthur would ultimately be laid to rest, it’s the Festival’s contest & challenge centre, a patch of earth where the adventurous desire of the Montelago community triumphs, and where courage and fair play are measured through rugby, Celtic games and role-play.

In addition, the Arena Avalon is also a land of fire, a space dedicated to every stoker, juggler, Balrog and kerosene druid of the world, as well as the scene of the mighty battle of armies, a spectacle of historical re-enactment.

The Arena also hosts the Battle for Vilegis contest, the live role-playing game in a medieval-fantasy setting, with heroes to meet and duels to fight.

Celtic Craft Market

A bazaar with a Celtic soul where you can find the best of European craftsmanship, from fantasy artefacts to drinks from the medieval tradition.

The Celtic Handicraft Market is located in an avenue that winds from the right of the Main Stage to its conference with the food & beverage stands, tracing a path that joins the two ends of the area given over to exhibits, performances, and entertainment.

Open from Thursday to Saturday night.

Harp Stage

Symbol of the festival. A beacon for those that set out for Montelago.

Visible from afar, over 16m in height, and styled as a harp, it’s the work of artists and stage designers Burgio and Gomez of Bologna, and was brought to life through a collaboration with Architec Costruzioni of Perugia.

Sacred Fire

The traditional Lighting of the Sacred Fire initiates the Celtic Night on Saturday 4th August. The symbolic rite of the festival will be accompanied by the soothing notes of Katia Zunino’s harp.

In the heart of the festival, the bonfire of bonfires comes to life, whose lighting is Montelago’s symbolic rite marking the passage from light to darkness and the beginning of the Celtic Night. Around the sacred fire we dance and sing, we warm and find ourselves in a magical embrace that lasts until dawn.