Castlefest

Castlefest is an annual medieval and fantasy festival held in the Dutch town of Lisse. Founded in 2005, it is inspired by and based on the Celtic feast of Lugnasadh. The festival is held on the first weekend of August in the gardens of Castle Keukenhof.

Lugnasadh (Lughnasa) is one of the four Gaelic festivals marking the change of seasons, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. It is a harvest festival named after Lugh, an important god of Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann pantheon, Lugh is a trickster god and a legendary High King of Ireland. The festival of Lugnasadh marks the end of summer and the beginning of harvest season. It is celebrated on August 1, but the festivities are typically held on the closest Saturday or Sunday.

The first Castlefest in Lisse was held in 2005. The organizers were inspired by Lugnasadh and Celtic culture in general, as well as the Middle Ages and fantasy. The name of the festival was derived from the word “castle”, and not just because the Medieval period is typically associated with castles. The matter is that the festival is held in the Keukenhof garden that surrounds the castle of the same name.

Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, is one of the world’s largest flower gardens. Located on 15th-century hunting grounds, it offers a variety of different gardens and garden styles. The garden is generally open from mid-March to mid-May, during the tulip season. During the rest of the year, the grounds of Castle Keukenhof host a number of festivals, including Castlefest.

Castlefest runs over the first weekend of August with an opening concert on Thursday night. It has an annual attendance of over 35,000 visitors from all over the Netherlands and abroad. Castlefest offers music and entertainment of the highest quality. One of the festival’s main highlight is the Pagan Night held on Saturday night. It is most notable for the wicker burning that symbolizes a sacrifice.

As a music event, Castlefest focuses on folk music and related genres suck as folk rock. Alongside the opening concert, it features performances on three stages (the Forest Stage, the Village Stage and the Folk Stage) throughout the entire event. As far as entertainment is concerned, the festival offers games and contests, arts & crafts vendors, special events and activities for children, workshops, medieval spectacles, storytellers and other performers, and more.