October 9–17, 2026
| date | Friday, Oct 9th 2026 @ 7:30 pm ADT |
| venue | Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre |
| locale | Port Hawkesbury |
| price | $75/$65/$50 |
| washroom | Yes |
| seating | General Admission |
When the founders of Celtic Colours—Joella Foulds and Max MacDonald—saw the debut performance of The Unusual Suspects at the 2003 Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, Scotland, they knew they had to figure out a way to get this show to Cape Breton. Conceived by Musical Directors Corrina Dawn (Hewat) and Dave Milligan, the Unusual Suspects featured a collection of Scottish trad and jazz musicians organized into fiddle, pipes and whistles, accordion, and horn sections along with piano, harp, vocals, guitar, bass, and drums and percussion to play big band arrangements of original and traditional Celtic tunes. Repurposing the concept to feature a mix of Scottish and Cape Breton artists, the Unusual Suspects of Celtic Colours premiered on the Savoy Theatre stage in 2004. As predicted at the time, the Suspects has become an enduring highlight of Celtic Colours and was reprised for milestone festivals in 2006 and again in 2016. And so, for the thirtieth festival this year, it just felt right to get the old band back together, albeit with a few different members. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this spectacular musical extravaganza! (Think we’re laying it on a little thick? Check out the show and see for yourself!) Tonight’s concert is proudly supported by EverWind.
And if you’re looking for somewhere to eat before the concert, check out the Fishcakes and Beans supper less than five minutes away from the venue.
The Unusual Suspects of Celtic Colours is a big band based on a concept commissioned for Glasgow, Scotland-based festival Celtic Connections back in 2003. The original idea for the Unusual Suspects, conceived by Musical Directors Corrina Dawn (Hewat) and Dave Milligan, was to put ...