Celtic Legacy Dropped From Colorado Renaissance Festival After 38 Years

After 38 consecutive years as a fixture at the Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, Celtic Legacy received no invitation to return for the 2026 season, ending one of the Douglas County event's longest-running performer relationships without a clear public explanation.

Ben Holmes, the band's owner, said the decision caught him off guard. "I'm mostly just confused about the decision," Holmes said. The festival, now entering its 49th year and drawing thousands of visitors to its Larkspur grounds each summer, said it had "decided to make changes for the betterment of the festival" but offered nothing further.

Holmes pointed to two incidents from a prior season that may have contributed to the split. On opening day, a safety concern arose with the band's fire bagpipes during the first performance of the first run day. "The fire bagpipes are a unique instrument and the first show of the first run day of the Renaissance Festival, um, there was an issue with it," Holmes said. "I decided that I would hang back to provide safety and the owner was quite upset with that, although it really wasn't in my control."

Holmes also acknowledged the band began packing up their equipment 15 minutes before the festival closed on one occasion, calling that "definitely our fault." But he does not believe either incident warranted losing a booking that spanned nearly four decades. "I'd like to know the reasoning underneath the reasoning because it seems they were sort of minor infractions for people that have been loyal for almost 4 decades," he said. "We don't hold any animosity, just curiosity."

The split left more than bruised feelings. Holmes said the festival owner required the band to vacate the property quickly at the close of their final appearance, and some instruments were left behind. As of the time of reporting, Holmes said those items had not been returned.

Holmes also said he had been unable to reach the festival owner directly. "He's blocked me on there," Holmes said, referring to an unspecified platform where he attempted contact.

The story generated more than 150 comments and thousands of views after KOAA News5 Southern Colorado published its initial coverage, with longtime fans publicly questioning how the festival's lineup decisions are made. Celtic Legacy had been a recognizable part of the Larkspur experience for most of the festival's existence, and questions remain about booking criteria, how safety incidents factor into performer evaluations, and whether other long-running acts faced similar cuts during the 2026 programming review.