Charlotte New Music: BrightFire Music & Arts Festival

BrightFire Music & Arts Festival is a celebration of Life, Hope, and Renewal signifying the start of the summer months.

The festival is an innovative artist-led interpretation of the essence of Beltane, applying ancient lessons and traditions to the here and now. In Celtic tradition, Beltane marked the end of a cold, dark, life-and-death winter and the beginning of renewed life and summer. It is associated with fire, nature, renewed life and growth, joyful celebrations, and an important time in agricultural and pastoral life. Initially, herdsmen in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Isle of Man, would lead their cattle between bonfires to cleanse and prevent disease before entering into the new summer pastures. Ancient communities celebrated this changing season by playing music and dancing near the fires. They would extinguish their home hearths and relight them from the communal Beltane fires as a unifying practice.