For centuries, Downeast Maine has flourished as a crossroads for many Celtic-influenced styles of music and dance: Acadian, Cape Breton, Irish, Scottish and Québécois – just to name a few. The Acadia Festival of Traditional Music and Dance is dedicated to celebrating these traditions June 26-July 2, 2023 at the beautiful oceanfront campus of College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Since 2013, the Acadia Trad Festival has brought world-class performers, students and the public together for awe-inspiring nightly concerts and dances, as well as daily classes and workshops. Our flagship program, Acadia Trad School, is a weeklong intensive program offering unparalleled instruction in fiddle, dance, piano, guitar, flute, song and much more.

Students of all ability levels and a wide range of ages (adults and children 12 years and up) are welcome. Full-time students spend the week in intensive studies, jam sessions and fun. Tickets to a wide selection of over 60 afternoon workshops and five evening concerts are open to the public. Instrumental classes are taught in the aural tradition, with an emphasis on learning by ear. 

Shortly after the former Acadia Trad School 501(c)(3) disbanded in 2020, a dedicated group of volunteers began working to give new life to a reimagined festival in time for summer 2023. Explore our website to learn more about our mission and history, how to buy tickets or register for Trad School, and ways you can support the Acadia Trad Festival.