Passim

What Passim does

Passim is a private, operating music venue and cultural organization founded in Cambridge in 1969. It presents live music performances across multiple genres and offers music classes, serving music students, Celtic music enthusiasts, and residents of the New England/Massachusetts community. The available information does not characterize Passim as a software or technology company: it lists no app, API, core technology, or proprietary features.

Passim's principal documented product is the Boston Celtic Music Festival (BCMFest), an annual four-day event held across venues in Cambridge and Somerville. Passim launched the festival in 2003 and scheduled its 23rd edition for January 15-18, 2026. The program includes internationally acclaimed acts such as Old Blind Dogs and Altan, local Celtic musicians, a tribute to Brian O'Donovan, and anniversary programming associated with The Burren's 30th anniversary.

The disclosed business model is event-driven, with revenue from festival ticket sales and venue admissions distributed through a multi-venue model. Primary demand comes from Celtic music enthusiasts, while the broader Cambridge and Somerville community is a secondary segment. Ticket prices, attendance levels, class pricing, customer concentration, revenue split, and other pricing information are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Passim

Legal name

Passim

Website

https://passim.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Passim is a Cambridge-based private cultural organization that presents live music, offers music classes, and serves students, Celtic music enthusiasts, and the New England community through programming and regional events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Venue and Cultural Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Live music performances
• Folk music venue
• Music education classes
• Celtic music festival
• Cultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Festival ticketing and venue admissions: Revenue generated from ticket sales and admissions to the Boston Celtic Music Festival events across multiple venues in Cambridge and Somerville.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Passim is a historic music venue and cultural organization that presents live music performances and offers music classes for audiences and students across multiple genres. It operates physical sites in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts, and produces the annual Boston Celtic Music Festival (BCMFest), now in its 23rd year.

Product overview

Passim organizes and hosts the annual Boston Celtic Music Festival (BCMFest), a single-event cultural offering that brings together Celtic musicians from around the world. The festival represents Passim's primary public-facing initiative, showcasing live performances by internationally acclaimed acts such as Old Blind Dogs and Altan, alongside regional Celtic artists, held across multiple venues in the Cambridge and Somerville area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The BurrencoreOthersThe Burren is a primary venue host for the Boston Celtic Music Festival. The 2026 festival coincides with The Burren's 30th anniversary, highlighting a long-standing partnership between Passim and this Somerville venue.
• Somerville TheatreminorOthersSomerville Theatre serves as the venue for the festival finale. Tommy McCarthy, owner of The Burren, helped bring the festival finale to this venue.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• The Ark: The Ark is an Ann Arbor folk and roots music venue and nonprofit presenter. It is a regional peer because it serves a similar folk-oriented audience through ticketed live performances and community programming.
• Celtic Connections: Celtic Connections is an annual Celtic music festival in Glasgow that presents live performances and related cultural programming. It compares directly to Passim's BCMFest because both monetize genre-led, ticketed live-music events, although they serve different geographies.
• Newport Folk Festival: Newport Folk Festival is an established Rhode Island folk festival presenting live music to a broad audience. It is a regional peer in recurring festival programming, ticketing, and folk and cultural brand building.
• Milwaukee Irish Fest: Milwaukee Irish Fest is a large annual Irish and Celtic music and cultural festival in Wisconsin. Its event format, genre focus, and audience overlap make it a strong regional analogue, though it is not a same-territory competitor.
• The Iron Horse Music Hall: The Iron Horse Music Hall is a Northampton, Massachusetts live-music venue. It is a regional peer with comparable ticketed live-performance operations and a nearby New England audience.

Direct peers

• The Burren: The Burren is a Somerville Irish pub and live-music venue hosting performances and community events. It is a direct local peer because it serves the same Celtic and live-music audience and supports venue-based, ticketed entertainment.
• The Sinclair: The Sinclair is a Cambridge live-music club and venue with ticketed performances. It is a direct local peer in live programming, audience development, and admissions-led venue operations.
• Old Town School of Folk Music: Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago folk-music school and concert presenter. It is comparable through its combination of music education and live folk performances, providing Passim with a business-model analogue beyond the festival itself.

Broad incumbents

• House of Blues: House of Blues is an established live-music venue and concert operator with food, ticketing, and large-scale programming. It is a broad incumbent that competes for live-entertainment audiences and artist relationships, though at a substantially larger scale.
• City Winery: City Winery operates a multi-city network of live-music and event venues with ticketed performances. It is a broad incumbent because it overlaps with Passim's live-music and admissions model but spans a wider portfolio and footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/passim-medier

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Passim