James River Runners & Celtic Fiddle Guru present
3 Mile Float &
Fireside Celtic Fiddle Jam
Float · Workshop · Concert · Fireside Jam
One night. One river. One fireside circle. Float the James by day, let the river set your pace — then gather at the campfire as the sun goes down for music, stories, and song.
The Slow Down to Speed Up Experience
Celtic fiddle learning the way it was always meant to happen — by a river, around a fire.
The tunes of Scotland and Ireland crossed the Atlantic with settlers who travelled rivers just like this one. Float & Fiddle brings that music home to the water — built on Colin MacLeod's Slow Down to Speed Up teaching approach, already running at Virginia venues including Thistlerock Mead Co.
The principle is simple: we learn faster, play better, and live better when we slow down first. Here, the James does the slowing. Guests float the 3-mile Warren-to-Hatton stretch, letting the river set the tempo. By afternoon, that unhurried state becomes the doorway into music.
The evening is open: people take turns leading a tune, a story, or a song — with everyone welcome to join in on whatever they've got. This is how this music has always travelled. Passed around a fire, not performed at people.
Who Is This For?
Open to all fiddle and violin players — and everyone around the fire.
- Fiddle and violin players of any level — from those who just picked up the bow to those who've been playing for years
- Complete beginners who've found a few notes and want to find more in the best possible setting
- Experienced players looking for a more natural, relaxed way into Celtic music
- River lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and anyone who's ever felt music was "not for them"
- Those who play another instrument — guitar, mandolin, tin whistle — and want to join the fireside circle
- Anyone ready to slow down for one weekend and let the river do the teaching first
The Full Experience
Saturday August 29 – Sunday August 30, 2026
Introductions, kit up, safety briefing — and Colin plays a tune from the bank to send the group off
Self-guided 3-mile float along the Warren-to-Hatton stretch by tube or canoe — approximately three hours on the water. One invitation: listen to the river.
Lunch break — guests bring their own or arrange in advance
Led by Colin MacLeod. Open to all fiddle and violin players. No experience needed — everyone leaves with a tune in their fingers. Price includes a free follow-up Zoom session 2–3 weeks after the event.
Explore the riverbank, rest, set up camp. Concert-only guests begin to arrive.
Colin MacLeod performs 2 × 45-minute sets with an interval — Celtic tunes, Highland stories, and music from the oral tradition. Open to all attendees including concert-only guests arriving from 6pm.
The evening opens into a circle — people taking turns leading a tune, a story, or a song. The tune you learned at 3:30pm is the tune you play at 8pm. Everyone welcome to join in.
Colin plays a gentle tune to open the day and close the circle
Depart by 10:00am
What's Included
Everything you need for one night on the James
Self-guided 3-mile float along the Warren-to-Hatton stretch by tube or canoe — approximately three hours on the water
Tent site with fire pit for Saturday night — included with your float booking
"Slow Down to Speed Up" — everyone leaves with a tune in their fingers, plus a free follow-up Zoom included
Colin MacLeod performs 2 × 45-minute sets — Celtic tunes and Highland stories by the river. Open to all guests including concert-only arrivals.
An open circle from 8pm — everyone takes turns leading a tune, story, or song. The tune you learned in the workshop is the tune you play by the fire.
A gentle Sunday morning tune from Colin to close the circle before you go
JRR's own Tom Paquette joins on guitar — outfitter, host, and fellow player
The Music Doesn't Stop When the Weekend Does
A tune you learn by the fire is a tune worth keeping
A few weeks after the event, you'll be invited to a free follow-up Zoom session to revisit the tune you learned, ask questions, and stay in touch with the group — included in your workshop booking at no extra charge.
From there, many guests carry on with Colin's monthly Online Celtic Music Jam or one of his play-by-ear courses — because one weekend by the river is often just the beginning.
Reserve Your Place
Two separate bookings — JRR handles the river, Colin handles the music. Together they make the experience.
Float & Camping
Book your float and riverside campsite directly with James River Runners at standard rates.
Book with JRRMusic Experience
Workshop, fireside circle, morning tune & free follow-up Zoom
The full Slow Down to Speed Up workshop and fireside circle with Celtic Fiddle Guru — plus a free follow-up Zoom session 2–3 weeks after the event, included in your booking.
About Colin MacLeod
Scottish fiddle player & founder of the School of Celtic Fiddle Mastery
Originally from the Scottish Highlands near Inveraray, Argyll — and now based in Richmond, Virginia — Colin MacLeod has spent his life carrying the fiddle tunes of Scotland across oceans and into living rooms, wineries, riverbanks, and retreat centres.
His Slow Down to Speed Up teaching approach helps fiddle and violin players at every level reconnect with music through the ear rather than the page — rooted in the oral tradition of his native Argyll, and accessible to anyone willing to slow down long enough to listen.
Colin performs and teaches across Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas, and runs international retreats in Scotland and Cape Breton. His monthly Online Celtic Music Jam has run for over four years.
About James River Runners
A sacred stretch of the James — and the people who know it best
Founded in 1979, James River Runners is one of Virginia's most beloved river outfitters — offering tube, canoe, kayak, and raft rentals on the Warren-to-Hatton stretch of the James, alongside riverside camping, fishing access, and genuine hospitality.
Under the ownership of Tom Paquette, Chris Long, and Kevin Badke, JRR continues a legacy of place-rooted community spirit — from their annual Chili Cook-Off, which has raised over $300,000 for local fire and rescue, to summer weekends that draw visitors from across the country.
Visit jamesriver.com → | (434) 286-2338
Come for the river.
Learn the music.
Play it around the fire.