The Mabou Tuesday Night Ceilidhs bring traditional musicians and step dancers to Mabou Parish Hall on July 7, while Moses Coady goes to Keppoch at Strathspey Performing Arts Centre tells the compelling story of a Margaree Valley priest who shaped adult education across Atlantic Canada — a week that proves the western shore of Cape Breton runs as deep in culture as it does in scenery.
Live traditional music plays daily at this venue featuring local musicians. Food options include seafood chowder, lobster sandwiches, and pub fare, with beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks available. There's no cover charge Monday-Friday (11:30am-2pm music), and Sunday sessions run 2-5pm with food service until 5pm.
Live music performances happen Monday evenings at Central Park in Port Hood from 7-8pm, weather permitting. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy local musicians while watching the sunset. Runs through the summer season.
Performance schedule: Every Mon at 7:00 p.m., Jul 6 – Aug 24 (8 performances)
Mon, Jul 6 · Mon, Jul 13 · Mon, Jul 20 · Mon, Jul 27 · Mon, Aug 3 · Mon, Aug 10 · Mon, Aug 17 · Mon, Aug 24
Live traditional Cape Breton music plays daily while you eat lunch at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre's restaurant. The menu includes seafood chowder, lobster sandwich, and pub fare, with local beer and wine available. There's no cover charge Monday-Friday (11:30am-2pm music); Sunday hours are noon-5pm with music 2-5pm.
This concert tells the story of Fr. Moses Coady from Margaree Valley, a priest and adult educator, traveling with two Sisters from St Martha's to help a rural community through co-operative action and education. The show features original and traditional music, dialogue, and a cast of thirty performers aged 7 to 85. July 7 at 7 pm in Mabou; tickets $35 plus Eventbrite fee ($5 more day-of).
Traditional music and step dancing performances held Tuesday evenings at Mabou Parish Hall, featuring Cape Breton musicians. Each ceilidh includes a guided square set. 7:30-9pm, $12 admission (free for ages 12 and under).
Eddie Cummings is a singer-songwriter from Mabou, Cape Breton, who plays acoustic and electric guitars and harmonica, blending country and rock into a sound that appeals to all ages. His debut single reached the top of the East Coast Countdown for seven weeks in 2011, and he has performed at notable stages including the Stan Rogers Folk Festival and the Bluebird Café in Nashville.
Weekly square dance held Monday nights from July through October in Brook Village. Runs 9pm to 12:30am, open to adults 19 and over. Bar and canteen available. $10 entry.
Live traditional Cape Breton music plays daily while you eat lunch at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre's restaurant. The menu includes seafood chowder, lobster sandwich, and pub fare, with local beer and wine available. There's no cover charge Monday-Friday (11:30am-2pm music); Sunday hours are noon-5pm with music 2-5pm.
Start the week on Monday with a mid-afternoon Lunch Ceilidh at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre, where live traditional music accompanies home-cooked meals — an ideal introduction to the Gaelic soundscape that defines the Ceilidh Trail. Route 19 hugs the Gulf coastline from Port Hastings north through Mabou and Inverness, and a slow drive along it before the ceilidh is time well spent. Come evening, the Central Park Ceilidhs in Port Hood bring local musicians to the open air at 7:00 p.m. — weather permitting, one of the more effortlessly pleasant settings for live music on the island.
Tuesday opens again with a Lunch Ceilidh at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre, then the afternoon shifts to Strathspey Performing Arts Centre for Moses Coady goes to Keppoch at 4:00 p.m. — a concert-narrative about Fr. Moses Coady, the Margaree Valley priest whose work in adult education left a lasting mark on the region. Dinner before the evening's main event fits naturally at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, owned by the Rankin Sisters and offering live Cape Breton music seven nights a week. At 7:30 p.m., the Mabou Tuesday Night Ceilidhs fill Mabou Parish Hall with step dancers and fiddlers; a guided Square Set makes the evening accessible for visitors trying traditional dance for the first time. Admission is $12, with children 12 and under free.
Wednesday morning is a fine time to stretch the legs on the Cape Mabou Highlands Trails, a community-maintained network of ridge and shoreline paths set high above the Northumberland Strait. The views reward the climb, and the trails suit a range of fitness levels. Afterwards, a lunch stop at The Dancing Goat Cafe & Bakery in Margaree Valley — known for made-from-scratch breads, soups, and artisanal sandwiches — makes for a satisfying refuel before the afternoon Lunch Ceilidh back at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday evening splits two ways: Eddie Cummings plays Whit's Public House at The Cabot Links in Inverness, while the Adult Square Dance in Brook Village continues its summer run at Brook Village Hall for those 19 and over.
Between events, the beaches along this stretch of coastline are worth building the itinerary around. Inverness Beach offers a long sandy Gulf shore with warm water, dunes, and a boardwalk that connects directly into town — easy to reach on foot from the village. For something quieter, West Mabou Beach sits behind dunes and a salt marsh, with Gulf water that warms to a swimmable temperature by midsummer. A detour inland to Glenora Distillery in Glenville — North America's first single-malt whisky distillery, set in a Highland river valley — pairs well with either beach day. Tours and tastings are available, and guests can stay overnight at the Glenora Inn & Distillery for a genuine highland setting without leaving Cape Breton.
For those passing through Whycocomagh at the southern end of the trail, Charlene's Bayside Restaurant and Cafe serves award-winning seafood chowder and fresh coastal cuisine, and The Farmers Daughter Country Market on Highway 105 is stocked with home-baked goods, gourmet foods, and local gifts — a practical stop for a picnic basket headed toward any of the week's outdoor events.
This municipal beach in Inverness has warm, shallow water and soft sand suitable for families. A 1.5-km sandy beach and boardwalk offer views of Cabot Links golf course. The beach provides accessible equipment including Mobi-Mats and beach wheelchairs (book through the Inverness Visitor Centre at 902-258-3740), plus amenities like change houses, toilets, parking, and a canteen. Lifeguards are on duty July and August.
The Ceilidh Trail (Route 19) hugs the western coast of Cape Breton from the Canso Causeway up to Margaree Harbour, where it meets the Cabot Trail. The drive passes Judique, Port Hood, Mabou, and Inverness, every village steeped in Scottish Gaelic music traditions. Plan stops for the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre, the Red Shoe Pub, and at least one warm-water beach.
The Cape Mabou Highlands trail system is a 35-kilometre network of interconnected paths managed by the Cape Mabou Trail Club. Routes such as Beinn Bhiorach, MacKinnons Brook, and Sight Point string together along sheep-cropped ridges and along a wild Gulf shoreline. The terrain is genuinely remote—there is no cell service and several climbs exceed 300 metres—so carry a paper map, water, and rain gear. Trailheads are accessed from the Mabou Post Road and from the end of MacKinnons Brook Lane.
West Mabou Beach Provincial Park protects a long natural beach, dune system, and salt marsh just south of Mabou village. The Gulf water warms quickly in summer, and the beach is rarely crowded. A short loop trail crosses the dunes and follows the back-shore meadow. Combine with live music at the Red Shoe Pub in town.
Live Cape Breton music seven nights a week in Mabou, owned by the Rankin Sisters. The Red Shoe is the spiritual home of Cape Breton fiddle — a small, packed room where the players are world-class and the audience knows when to stop talking.
North America's first single-malt whisky distillery, set in a Highland river valley in Glenville. The Glenora Falls run right through the property, the warehouses sit on the hillside, and the whisky inside them is the real Cape Breton article.
The bustling ‘made from scratch’ roadside café, Dancing Goat Café and Bakery, is a favourite stop along the Cabot Trail for locals and visitors alike. With delicious sweet treats, fresh breads, artisanal sandwiches and soups, and lattes that would rival any top coffee house, the Dancing Goat is a culinary gem tucked in the hills of the Margaree Valley. Serving breakfast and lunch all year long. We are wheelchair accessible.
Stay above North America's first single-malt distillery, in a riverside Highland setting. The Glenora Inn is the rare hotel where breakfast comes with the smell of malted barley drifting through the property.
Home to Charlene’s Multi-Award Winning Famous Seafood Chowder. A great family dining experience enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Renowned for great service, amazing food and its overall welcoming atmosphere. Stop by and see for yourself! Open Monday – Friday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Take Out Services Available
Nestled in the heart of Cape Breton, The Farmer’s Daughter Country Store offers a unique selection of sweet treats, express meals, home baked goods, gourmet foods, gifts and apparel.
The Inverness and western shore delivers its signature blend of music, coastline, and community warmth in abundance this week — whether the visit is an afternoon or a full seven days, there is no quiet corner of the Ceilidh Trail that won't earn a return trip.
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