Michael Ball wins hearts of adoring Eisteddfod audience

 * Michael Ball wows the Pavilion crowd at his concert last night.

Michael Ball’s opening number of his barnstorming Saturday concert at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod was Best Night of Your Life and that’s exactly what he sweated to make it for a packed Pavilion audience on a sultry summer evening.

Warning them that it was so hot that he almost came in shorts, he followed up with the aptly-titled Some Guys Have All the Luck, which indeed he has had over a five-decade career which has seen him become one of Britain’s leading musical theatre stars, a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and a hugely popular radio and TV presenter.

He is also an accomplished songwriter, a talent which was displayed in Tennessee Dreams, a Country-inspired piece that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in Nashville. We stayed in the Deep South for The Gambler, nipping over to Memphis for Elvis’s I Just Can’t Help Believin’.

He clearly loves material by the guys with big voices and he skilfully applied his own to a shattering version of Tom Jones’s Fall in Love. By this time the audience had fallen deeply in love with him - if they hadn’t already done so years ago.

* ... and told them how happy he was to be in Llangollen.

Glow, the title track from his latest album, then got a spectacular airing as did the moving You which he also penned.

Favourites abounded and the next one up, The Rose, didn’t disappoint. Neither did He Lives in You, from Lion King, which saw another powerhouse of a delivery.

No Ball show would be complete without the tear-jerking Empty Chairs from Les Misérables, the musical in which he has had a few starring roles since the dawn of his long career. One of them was police officer Javert who sings the moving Stars and which he presented next.

Another biggie, the patriotic Anthem, he made a tribute to Wales, a country in which he has deep family roots.

It was then time to prove that he can also rock, which he did in style with Vintage from his 23^rd studio album, Let’s Just Dance and You Can’t Stop the Beat.

Another one he wouldn’t have been allowed to neglect was Loves Changes Everything, a breakthrough number of his from wayback when. 

There was a tribute to his own performing arts profession with On With the Show before he reached a parting crescendo with Elvis’s The Wonder of You winning a standing ovation in the process.

Before he left the stage he described the Eisteddfod as a “wonderful tradition” which made him proud to be part of. And in the adoring eyes of Pavilion audiences he will clearly always be that.

Special St Collen's service celebrates 2026 Eisteddfod

* German choir Mannerchor Germania Freiendiez sing at St Collen's Eisteddfod service.

St Collen's Church hosted its traditional service to mark the close of the 2026 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod this morning (Sunday).

Officials and volunteers from this year's successful festival were in the congregation for the With One Voice gathering.

After the stirring opening hymn of the Old Hundredth to acknowledge the multi-national flavour of the Eisteddfod, there was a welcome from priest-in-charge Father Lee Taylor before the first reading was delivered by festival chairman John Gambles. A further reading came later from Gethin Davies, a former chairman.

The service was uplifted by contributions from two of the choirs appearing at the Eisteddfod this week.

First to sing was Haaslava Meeskoor from Estonia, one of the country's long-established community male voice choirs whose set included a rendition, in the Welsh language, of Calon Lan.

Following a further hymn, Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, again a nod to the Eisteddfod, there came a performance from Mannerchor Germania Freiendiez from Germany, one of the country's oldest continuously active male voice choirs.   

Between the two choral interludes was a piece from local poet Gareth Culshaw entitled New People Bring Us Light written specially for Eisteddfod week and featuring vivid imagery of Llangollen.

Intercessions were led by the newly-ordained Dyfan Parry.

The theme of Father Lee's address from the pulpit was how music connects people and communities.

* Haaslava Meeskoor from Estonia sang Calon Lan in Welsh.

* Father Lee Taylor gives his address during the service. 

* Intercessions are led by ordinant Dyfan Parry.

* Local poet Gareth Culshaw reads his New People Bring Us Light. 

* St Collen's currently has an urgent appeal to raise funds for the conservation of its internationally-renowned medieval hammerbeam roof.

Despite being acknowledged as a masterpiece of Welsh craftsmanship it faces critical decay and risks being lost without immediate action, say experts. Supporters can donate through Just Giving - see the St Collen's website under Genesis Project.

Another daily update from the Eisteddfod field and town

llanblogger brings you the fourth of its daily Eisteddfod updates from in town and around the field yesterday (Saturday) ...

* Manchester Community Choir singing on Centenary Square.

* The Daw choir from Wrexham during their performance on the town square.

* Warming up for the ballet competition on the main stage.

* An all-action show on the Unity Stage on the field. 

* The woodworking exhibition on the field was going down well with visitors.

Tomorrow's Llangollen flypast by veteran aircraft is cancelled

The veteran Dakota aircraft that was due to make a flypast of Llangollen tomorrow lunchtime (Sunday) will not now be coming after all.

Llangollen-based RAF Padre Rebekah Cannon of the RAF had organised the special  appearance by the World War Two vintage transport aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) for Eisteddfod week when it was due to make two over-flights of the Pavilion.

She had also asked organisers to plot a course over the RAFA Club bowling green on route.

At the time it was announced Padre Cannon did warn that the flight was weather and serviceability dependent.

And this evening she has passed on the news from RAF Coningsby, where the aircraft is based, that the event is off due to the plane involved being unserviceable following a mechanical problem, for which the BBMF has apologised.  

Sublime Emeli Sandé and formidable home orchestra have Pavilion bouncing

* Pictures above and below: Tom Cusworth.

British hit-maker Emeli Sandé’s sublimely soulful voice bouncing off the wonderful wall of sound produced by the Absolute Orchestra conducted by Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod’s own artistic director Dave Danford had a packed Pavilion literally rocking to its canvas roof. 

Specially for the festival the two musicians collaborated on a programme which saw Danford rework some of the British singer-songwriter’s biggest album hits to spectacular effect.

 

The enormous and delicious background sound was produced by a hand-picked, 20-odd-strong group of musicians numbering in the twenties who enveloped Sande’s soaring voice like constant pouring of hot cream.

 

For the opening number of Daddy this formidable pairing was accompanied on stage by a sweet girls’ choir before the mind-blowing accompaniment started in tremendous earnest with a Bond theme-style suite featuring My Kind of Love and Clown, both of which lit the touch paper for the hugely enthusiastic audience.

It was on with more dynamic creations on Heaven, segwaying neatly into Hurts.

Yes You Can had been arranged with a classical music bridge leading into Survivor – and who but Danford would be capable of using Khachaturian’s Masquerade Ballet Suite in such a marvellously workable way?

 

Much to the delight of the thousands of watchers out front, for Beneath Your Beautiful Sandé duetted with promise-filled young singer Brook Fox who had earlier worked with the evening’s support band – something which went down particularly pleasingly.

 

Mountains followed then it was time for more sensory prodding as a video backdrop contrasting a war-ravaged scene narrated by former Eisteddfod president and supreme man of peace Sir Terry Waite – who was actually in the audience – with shots of the festival’s iconic Parade of Nations, the 2026 version of which had taken place only hours before. Whoever thought of that deserves a huge plaudit too.

 

After High and Lows and a tumultuous Read All About It Pt. III came the inevitable standing ovation, which was for the benefit of the orchestra every bit as much as the star, who was not given permission to quit the glittering Pavilion stage until she’s lavishly paid her exit fee with You Are Not Alone and a massive, hand-clapping-foot-stomping Next to Me, which quite literally had the old joint bouncing.

Latest daily update from the Eisteddfod field and town

llanblogger brings you the third of its daily Eisteddfod updates from in town and around the field yesterday (Friday) ...

* Competitor Regina Casing sings for the judges in a Young Voice of the Future preliminary round at Llangollen Town Hall.  Picture: Kurly Mawaha

* People enjoy the sunshine as

they watch a jamming session by Solo Guy in Centenary Square. Picture: Kurly Mawaha

* The Haaslava Meeskor Choir from Estonia perform on the Unity Stage on the field. Their repertoire includes two Welsh songs -  Calon Lan and Myfanwy both of which they sing in Welsh. Picture: Dennis Reeve

* Well-known Llangollen singer Rose Burgon (left) was the winner of the Young Voice of Musical Theatre competition. Runners-up were Non Alaw Prys (centre) and Anabella Jones.

* The Kiny-Cultura dance group from Indonesia visited Llangollen station from where they travelled the heritage line to Glyndyfrydwy where they were filmed by S4C and before enjoying lunch.  They were competing at the Eisteddfod and came third in the Children's Traditional Folk Dance Group category. An Indonesian government minister accompanying them congratulated both the Eisteddfod and the railway for the way they are bringing international cultures together in peace and harmony.

* The Young People's Chorus of New York City perform in St Collen's Church. Picture: Kurly Mawaha

* Also singing at St Collen's was The Advent Euphonic Chorale of the Phillipines. Picture: Kurly Mawaha

Thousands turn out for Eisteddfod's spectacular Parade of Nations

 

* Dancers from the Punjab enjoy the sunshine.

A record crowd packed the town centre to watch the spectacular Parade of Nations pass by, marking another incredibly successful Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Thousands braved the afternoon's hot sun and temperatures over 30 degrees to see one of the festival's most famous traditions brought to life with all its colour and vitality.

The latest annual celebration of international friendship, music and culture featured a cavalcade of competitors and performers from across the globe joining local groups in a vibrant procession from the Eisteddfod field through the heart of Llangollen.

This year's festival welcomed participants from Burundi, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Estonia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, the Isle of Man, the Netherlands, Norway, Rwanda, Sweden, Uganda, Ukraine and the United States, alongside performers from across Wales and the rest of the UK, highlighting the festival's unique role in bringing the world together through music and dance.

The overseas performers were dressed in a dazzling array of colourful national costumes as they proudly carried their flags and symbols.

Led by Llangollen Silver Band and selected groups from Llangollen schools, the parade followed a route along Abbey Road, crossing the bridge into Bridge Street, turning into Chapel Street, Oak Street, Castle Street, Market Street, East Street and Parade Street before returning over the bridge and back to the Eisteddfod field.

Rapturous applause and cheers broke out as soon as the procession appeared on the famous Llangollen bridge and continued all the way around the town.

The Parade of Nations has become one of the defining images of the Eisteddfod, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to welcome performers proudly wearing their national costumes, carrying their flags and showcasing the rich diversity of cultures represented at the festival.

Eisteddfod Chair John Gambles said: "The Parade of Nations is one of the most uplifting moments of the Eisteddfod week. It is a wonderful celebration of the friendships, cultures and traditions that make our festival so special, and it gives the people of Llangollen the opportunity to offer a warm Welsh welcome to performers who have travelled from every corner of the world.

"Seeing so many nations walking side by side through the streets of Llangollen is a powerful reminder that music has the ability to unite people across borders and cultures.

"It was marvellous to see so many people lining the route on what was a very hot afternoon to see the parade go by and to enjoy once again the incredible atmosphere it created."

Immediately following the parade, spectators were able to continue the celebrations by heading to the Eisteddfod field, where a special £5 admission ticket gives access to the popular Sound-Bridge Sessions on the Globe Stage, including BBC Radio Cymru – Rhys Mwyn's Post Parade Party from 5.00pm.

There are still two action-packed days to enjoy at the 2026 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Saturday is Dance Day, with dance groups from around the world taking centre stage in the Pavilion and across the festival site. The day will be celebrated by one of Britain's most celebrated dancers, Dame Darcey Bussell, who is joining the Eisteddfod as Guest Ambassador.

The festival concludes on Sunday with a full programme of choir competitions before the prestigious Choir of the World final, one of the world's most respected choral competitions. The evening promises to bring another unforgettable Eisteddfod to a close as outstanding choirs from across the globe compete for one of international choral music's highest honours.

* For the full programme and tickets, visit llangollen.net.