NMYR: CELTIC 7'S FEST AND RUGBY

The 23rd Annual Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival and Highland Games will be held May 21 - 22, 2011 at Albuerque's Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, NM. Ticket prices are Adults: $10 one Day or $15 for the weekend Children: $5 per day or $7 for the weekend 

THE CELTIC FESTIVAL: The Celtic Festival is in its 23st year and is attended by over 4,000 people. Bringing the Rio Grande Sevens Rugby Tournament to the Celtic festival provides an excellent opportunity to introduce the community to rugby and will provide new recruitment opportunities for all teams.

The festival will provide attendees an opportunity to watch and learn more about the great game of rugby. Between matches, the Rugby teams and rugby fans will enjoy celtic entertainment and events, including Scottish and Irish Dancing, Piping and Drumming Competitions, sword fighting demonstrations, and all the traditional Scottish Athletic Events.

The festival will include plenty of food vendors and Two Fools Tavern, one of Albuquerque's great rugby sponsors, will have a BEER GARDEN that you can visit throughout the tournament. See you there!

For more information email Rebecca Fuller Tournament Director through MySpace 

http://www.myspace.com/riogrande_celtic_sevens   or    RGCeltic7s@brujos-rugby.com

Also visit  www.celtic7s.com 

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Mens Teams (includes Collegiate): $200 Womens Teams (includes Collegiate): $100 High Schools: $75 Contact Rebecca for a registration form: rgceltic7s@brujos_rugby.com Registration includes entry fees for Celtic Festival and beer/food coupons for the post-tournament social. REGISTER NOW! OR AT LEAST DROP US A NOTE TO LET US KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING.

SCHEDULE: 8:00AM- Teams arrive and check in at Rugby Registration Desk near main gate of Balloon Fiesta Park 9:00AM- 1st Games begin 12:00PM- Celtic Festival Opening Ceremony 4:30PM- Play Off Games and Championship Game 5:00PM- End of Tournament 6:30PM- Social Begins at Uptown Sports Bar 7:30PM- Awards Ceremony at Uptown Sports Bar

WHAT ARE THE "HIGHLAND ATHLETIC GAMES?":

The tradition of the athletic competition goes back to the days when rival clans or kings would meet. Competitors engage in displays of strength and skill and to gain honor and prestige. Some say the competitions were organized in an effort to minimize brawling and “street fighting”. They also provided an opportunity to test or prepare squires and other recruits before they went out to do battle. Many of the various athletic skills demonstrated in the games are the same as those that were required to successfully win a battle.

The Celtic Festival includes traditional Scottish Athletic Games, such as the Caber Toss, Hammer throw,and Sheaf Toss. This year's incorporation of the 12th Annual Rio Grande Sevens Tournament into the games adds a new dimension and provides a great opportunity for the community to learn about an exciting sport which is played widely and has a huge following in the Celtic nations.

Today's Scottish athletic games are played by individuals, instead of clans; or in the case of rugby, by rugby clubs, representing cities and colleges from around the West. So get your Kilt on...and prepare to fight it out on the pitch and share a pint and a good rugby song with your rivals when it is all over. The Rio Grande Celtic Sevens Rugby Tournament is hosted by the New Mexico Brujos Rugby Football Club. More Tournament Information can be found at their link: www.brujos-rugby.com

For Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival information go to:   http://www.celtic7s.com/

http://www.myspace.com/riogrande_celtic_sevens