October 9–17, 2026
| date | Saturday, Oct 10th 2026 @ 2:00 pm ADT |
| venue | St. Matthew's United Church |
| locale | Inverness |
| price | $45 |
| washroom | Yes |
| seating | General Admission |
Centrally located on Route 19, about halfway between Chéticamp and Judique, the beachside community of Inverness is a popular meeting place for folks up and down the western coast of Cape Breton Island. Also known as the Céilidh Trail, Route 19 runs through and connects several Inverness County communities where traditional Cape Breton music is just a part of daily life—making it an ideal place to meet up for an afternoon of music making. And that’s exactly what’s in the works for today at the beautiful St. Matthew’s United Church. The historic building will be overflowing with the sounds of fiddlers, singers, guitar players, and piano players from Judique, West Mabou, Mabou, Lake Ainslie, Margaree Forks, and Antigonish County on the mainland (which can be seen across St. George Bay on a clear day). Tunes and songs in English and Gaelic will reverberate off the old church’s dark, wood-panelled interior this afternoon as some of the area’s finest traditional players and singers take this opportunity to make some music close to home. Take this afternoon to experience for yourself the special kind of magic that happens when these types of gatherings come together.
And if you’re looking for somewhere to eat before the concert, check out the Seafood Chowder Lunch less than a five minute walk from the venue. There are seatings available at 11am and 1pm.
Dawn and Margie Beaton from Mabou, were dancing at age four and started playing the fiddle a year later. Over the years they have performed at concerts, ceilidhs and festivals all around Cape Breton Island, mainland Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Scotland, Ireland, France, ...
Jackie Dunn MacIsaac grew up in Lower South River, Antigonish County. She has strong Cape Breton ancestral and musical roots. Since stepping on stage more than 50 years ago, Jackie has performed and instructed across North America and Scotland as a fiddler, pianist, and ...
A native of East Lake Ainslie, Inverness County, James MacLean is a guitarist rooted in the rich traditional music of Cape Breton Island. Immersed in music from a young age, he developed a style shaped by the island’s driving fiddle tradition and a deep ...
Lisa Cameron was raised among a musical family in Margaree Forks. She has released three albums of original songs: End of Blue, Through the Winter, and her latest, Unspoken. For the past couple of years, Lisa has been playing local venues along with her ...
West Mabou native Sarah MacInnis was surrounded by traditional Cape Breton music since her earliest days growing up in Inverness County. She comes from a musical family—mom Mary Elizabeth plays fiddle, piano and dances, and grandfather Buddy MacMaster was a world-renowned fiddler with humble ...