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I had spent my day doing a four-hour hike of Nova Scotia’s Franey Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a gorgeous, gruelling trek with stunning mountain and ocean views. And post-hike, I had driven an hour-and-a-half of twisty roads that hugged rugged seaside cliffs to get to the charming lakeside town of Baddeck.

I was, in a word, spent, and felt like crawling into my plush hotel-room bed and sleeping for hours. But I had heard from more than a handful of folks that the Celtic Club—the late-night jam sessions that happen nightly from 11 pm to 3 am as part of the Celtic Colours International Festival—was not to be missed. How could I not go?

As a fierce nor’easter pelted the island with heavy rains and huge gusts of wind, I sat inside in a sprawling hall of the Gaelic College and listened to performer after performer showcase their talents—from Buddy MacDonald to Newfoundland group The Once. Neither my toes nor my hands could stay still, tapping and bopping to the lively jigs and reels. As I scanned the crowd, full of locals and visitors of a all ages (20s right up to senior citizens) that were chatting, laughing and clapping along to the fantastic music, I smiled to myself; now I understood all the excitement around the Celtic Club.

Read more about Nova Scotia’s Celtic Colours.