AS the clans prepare to converge on Glen Innes for the 30th anniversary of the Australian Celtic Festival, organisers are preparing for a record crowd.
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The three-day event, to be held at the end of April, is expected to be one of the greatest showcases of Celtic history and culture NSW has ever witnessed.
To the sound of bagpipes and beating drums, the clans will converge for what will be an outstanding celebration of Celtic art, music and food.
This year the festival, at the Australian Standing Stones, will have additional flair with a headline music act for the performance marquee, and two sporting identities for the Highland Games.
More than 5000 people are expected to visit Glen Innes over the three days of the festival, so additional amenities will be needed to cater for the influx.
The clans will be kept orderly by security, with Glen Innes Severn Council also hiring additional marquees, staging, audio visual technology, seating and lighting.
"This is an opportunity to support Glen Innes' local economy, and literally hundreds of performing artists who have been unable to celebrate their art in recent years because of COVID-19," Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said.
Mr Marshall sounded a call to arms by announcing a $140,000 State Government grant to ensure the 2022 gathering could cater for record crowds.
Glen Innes Severn Council Mayor Rob Banham said the grant would support efforts to make the Australian Celtic Festival a regional event.
"While Glen Innes is the Celtic capital of Australia, the blood of Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestors flows throughout the entire New England," Cr Banham said.
"Because of how many people we expect will attend this year's festival, it is likely there won't be enough accommodation in town to cater for everyone, and so there will be spill over into nearby Inverell and Armidale.
"We intend to use the grant to run coaches for day-trippers between Glen Innes, Inverell and Armidale, increasing accommodation options for festival patrons while supporting hospitality providers in those communities.
"The 30th anniversary of the Australian Celtic Festival will be really something to behold, and I thank Adam and the State Government for providing this grant which will make this milestone something to remember."
Funding has been made available through the State Government's Regional Event Acceleration Fund (REAF), developed to support the growth of existing regional events.