Krefeld (dpa / lnw) - The Kelly Family starts their Christmas tour in Krefeld this Friday (7.30 p.m.). A total of 27 concerts are planned. The tour ends on December 29th in Frankfurt/Main.

Five years ago, the Kelly Family reported back after a ten-year break and after almost three years of touring, it's that time again: "I don't find the change of location on the tour stressful. I like traveling and the route is well timed with manageable distances", said Joey Kelly of the dpa in the run-up to the tour. "It feels normal to us. It's no different than it was back in the '90s when we were also touring. It's a musician's business, playing in a different city almost every night."

The Kelly Family will also be releasing a Christmas EP with two new tracks next week entitled "One More Happy Christmas". A new Christmas album will follow. Kathy, Patricia, Jimmy, John, Joey and Paul want to play some of the band's biggest hits alongside world-renowned Christmas songs on the tour.

The group, made up of members of the Irish-American extended Kelly family, have already sold more than 20 million records worldwide with their folk-pop and have placed several albums at the top of the charts. The family also attracted attention with their unusual lifestyle. For a time she lived in a double-decker bus, on a houseboat and at Gymnich Castle.