Six months to go before Sir Tom Jones headlines at Eisteddfod

* Sir Tom Jones stars on July 2.

Exactly six months from now Sir Tom Jones will take to the stage to open the core week of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.  

And organisers have promised the “biggest and best Llangollen Eisteddfod for a generation”. 

Stars heading to the world famous Pavilion stage this summer have sold over 800 million albums between them.  

Nile Rodgers alone, legendary co-founder of the band Chic, has written, produced or sold more than 500 million albums worldwide.   

Bryan Adams and Sir Tom Jones have notched up 100 million sales apiece whilst just before Christmas Madness celebrated their first studio number one album. 

* Calan appear on July 3.

In October the peace festival, which has run since 1947 in the Denbighshire town, announced a partnership with Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.  

Since then, not a month has gone by without the announcement of another world-class superstar heading for Llangollen.  

The cavalcade of headliners includes Bryan Adams, Paloma Faith, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Kaiser Chiefs, Tom Jones, Calan, Kerry Ellis, John Owen-Jones, Gregory Porter, Katherine Jenkins, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Jess Glynne and Madness.   

Dave Danford, Llangollen Eisteddfod’s new Artistic Director, said: “This summer there is no doubt that Llangollen will be the place to be.  

“In exactly six months time Sir Tom Jones will take to the stage amid our biggest and most high-profile festival for decades.   

“We are keen to stress that the core elements of our festival that long-time supporters know and love will remain.   

“As well as bringing some of the world’s biggest selling artists to Llangollen our peace message will be at the heart of what we do, our competitions remain at an incredibly high standard and this year our field will be bustling with activity on our outside stages.   

“This partnership with Cuffe and Taylor has not just ensured our amazing festival survives but also thrives beyond our wildest expectations.” 

* Katherine Jenkins appears on July 7. 

The concerts will start from Tuesday 18th June with multi-million selling Canadian superstar Bryan Adams.  

There will be concerts before and after the core Eisteddfod week of July 2-7 and the  concerts will finish with Madness on July 13.  

All this represents a remarkable turnaround for the festival. In July 2023 it faced an uncertain future after reporting heavy financial losses.   

The partnership with Cuffe and Taylor has lifted the festival to a new level, with competition entries the highest for a generation due to the increased profile. 

Cuffe and Taylor co-founder Peter Taylor said: “We are thoroughly enjoying working with the team in Llangollen. 

“The International Musical Eisteddfod is an historical event to be celebrated and we feel quite honoured that we are now part of this iconic peace festival.   

“Not only do we have some amazing artists lined up to bookend the event, but we have also programmed three incredible nights to take place during the core Eisteddfod week. We are all very much looking forward to what is set to be a brilliant week in a most beautiful location.” 

The festival will also see over 150 choirs and dance groups heading to North Wales to take part in the traditional and world-renowned Eisteddfod competitions. 

Groups from as far away as Burundi, Canada, China, Ghana, India, Japan, Malaysia, Morocco, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, USA and Zimbabwe will be competing. They will take part in individual categories before the best choirs compete for the Pavarotti Trophy in the Choir of the World Final on Saturday July 6. 

Chair of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Professor Chris Adams said: “When our iconic festival was set up in 1947, its aim was to welcome the world to promote peace and reconciliation through music and dance.   

“This year we are doing this and more.  Over 800 volunteers will be welcoming competitors from over 40 countries this year as well as hundreds of competitors from across Wales and England. Our Eisteddfod is set to be spectacular but promoting peace will be central to everything we do.”   

* Tickets can be bought and other information can be found on the Festival’s website – www.llangollen.net.

The concert line-up so far:

June 18 – Bryan Adams

June 21 – Paloma Faith 

June 28 – Manic Street Preachers & Suede

June 29 – Kaiser Chiefs 

July 2 – Tom Jones (Core Eisteddfod week)

July 3 – Wales Welcomes The World (Core Eisteddfod week)

July 4 – Direct from the West End: Kerry Ellis & John Owen-Jones (Core Eisteddfod week) 

July 5 – Gregory Porter (Core Eisteddfod week) 

July 6 – Choir of the World (Core Eisteddfod week)

July 7 – Katherine Jenkins (Core Eisteddfod week) 

July 11 – Nile Rodgers & CHIC

July 12 - Jess Glynne

July 13 - Madness