The second annual Celtic Music Festival and Highland ParkGames is presented by Artists Now, in partnership with the Office of the Mayor, the Department of Community Services, the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and the Highland Park Children's Resource Center.

Building on past successful Celtic Music events, Artists Now, entering its fourth year of Celtic music programming, has vetted highly artistic N.J.-based bands, bagpipes and Irish dancers. In addition to performing at the Celtic Music Festival and Highland (Park) Games,each group will conduct workshops on their interpretation of the Celtic music tradition for Highland Park school children. Artists will also collaborate with Scottish-based duo, Master Fiddler Sarah Naylor and pianist Douglas Millar of the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

Celtic music comes out of a folk tradition - a tradition shared by many diverse cultures - and is largely spontaneous and improvisational, creating new arrangements, solos, and orchestrations, while building upon traditional folk songs. The pairing of different artists allows for a mutually informing interaction that encourages excellence. The many interpretations and various forms of these traditional Scottish works allows the audience a better understanding of both the shared traditions and divergent practices.