Thousands of singers and dancers from five continents are heading to the place where King Charles once got down to the bhangra beat.
This year’s Llangollen International Musical
Eisteddfod, starting on Tuesday (July 4) will be the first full length festival
since before the Covid pandemic.
The
event was established in 1947 in the aftermath of the Second World War as a way
of bringing the nations of the world closer together in a colourful,
multi-cultural melting pot.
Ever
since then the picturesque town in the Dee Valley has been known as the little
town where Wales meets the world.
The popular festival helped launch the careers of
opera superstars Luciano Pavarotti and Sir Bryn Terfel.
In 2015 King Charles – then Prince of Wales – paid
a visit when he was accompanied by Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, and he was
captured on camera dancing to a bhangra beat with the Sheerer Punjab Bhangra
Dance group from Nottingham.
* International dancers perform in Centenary Square.
The Eisteddfod’s royal connection stretches all the way back to 1953 when it was one of the first of the then newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth’s official engagements after she succeeded her father, George VI.
Seventy years later an extension has once again
been added to the famous international pavilion to increase capacity to 4,000
seats in the canvas-covered auditorium.
Also back will be the spectacular floral display at
the front of the pavilion stage, lovingly created by a band of dedicated volunteer
flower growers and arrangers.
Each day features a full
programme of competitions in the famous pavilion and a line-up of stalls and
exhibitions on the field along with the competitors from around the world, many
in colourful dress while three open-air stages run a stream of live
performances.
Entertainment on the outside
site includes workshops, talks, international showcases, outdoor theatre
performances, circus skills, sound bath sessions, yoga, belly dancing,
beginner’s Welsh and salsa.
The Globe Stage will feature
music acts spanning folk, jazz, world and indie.
There will also be
an international flavour to the cuisine available in the new Globe Food Court.
Visitors will be
able to “go around the world in 80 minutes” with stalls serving food from
different countries including India, Greece, Jamaica, Mexico, Germany and
Italy.
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- The
children’s competitions will take place on Wednesday (July 5) when the
annual Peace Message will be delivered bilingually by pupils from
the nearby Ysgol Dinas Bran as part of the school concerts taking place at
9.45am and again at 10.50am.
- The Young
Peacemakers Awards Ceremony in association with the Welsh Centre for
International Affairs will also take place on Wednesday.
- Meanwhile,
the acclaimed Welsh poet, Mererid Hopwood, who has been nominated
at the new Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod’s Bardic Circle, will be
delivering the peace lecture in the Dome between 4-4.50pm on the same day.
- At
4.30 pm on Thursday (July 6) the Parade of Nations will be making a
joyous comeback when a cavalcade of colourful competitors will march
through the town.
- A famous radio broadcast by poet
Dylan Thomas about Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is
being recreated to mark its 70th anniversary between 5-5.30pm
on Friday. The reading from actor, writer and director Celyn Jones will
form the centrepiece of a mini programme of events to celebrate the
literary magician’s 15-minute masterpiece on the BBC’s Home Service when
he visited in 1953.
Other highlights
include a concert starring Alfie Boe and musical theatre supergroup Welsh of
the West End on the first night of the Eisteddfod on Tuesday, July 4.
Wednesday will see The White Flower: Into The
Light, a concert of remembrance for the fallen of Sarajevo and Ukraine,
featuring the NEW Sinfonia orchestra with soloists from Bosnia, Wales and
Ukraine, with the centrepiece formed by Karl Jenkin’s much loved work, The
Armed Man.
The popular procession of international
participants and celebration of peace takes place on Thursday, followed by
Flight, a new mixed-media dance, music and theatre work by visionary artists
Propellor Ensemble, inspired by migratory patterns in nature and humanity.
On the Friday
night Guy Barker’s Big
Band will take the stage with Strictly Come Dancing singer Tommy Blaize.
Saturday features the blue riband
event, the Choir of the World competition for the coveted Pavarotti Trophy, and
also Dance Champions and the Pendine International Voice of the Future 2023.
There is a new look to the final
day of the Eisteddfod on Sunday with an all new live final which
sees rising vocal stars battle it out to claim the title Voice of Musical
Theatre, and Cân i Llan, a new song-writing competition for unsigned acts aged
14-22, providing a platform for emerging voices in contemporary popular music.
The Eisteddfod’s Executive Producer, Camilla King, said:
“Entertainment on the outside site spans across three main stages with further
daily pop-ups and includes workshops in the Amphitheatre with Small World
Theatre Company inviting visitors to create their own white flower sculpture
and Propellor Ensemble building a giant instrument from recycled materials.
“There will also be daily Lego building, arts and crafts,
floral sessions from the Eisteddfod’s famed arrangers, circus skills with
Jester Jack, Xplore Science, yoga, sound bathing, belly dancing and the chance
to learn new skills from the wide ranging visiting competitors.
“Talks on the Dome Stage feature Calan’s Bethan Rhiannon
‘From clog dancing to comedy’, poet Mererid Hopwood leading a panel for the
annual Peace Lecture, reflecting on the incredible Women of Wales Peace
Petition.
“International showcases take the Globe Stage from acts
including the Tibetan Tashi Lhunpo Monks, SOAS Min’yo Japanese folk music,
Bosnian and Ukrainian performers, and music from Filkin’s Drift, Seprona,
Kilbride Brothers, The Billy Thompson Trio, The Bartells, Chester Big Band and
Lilly Boughey amongst many others.”
* For
tickets or for more on Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and its
competitions and concerts as well as how to get to it and where to stay go to www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk or check out www.facebook.com/llangollen
DAYTIME COMPETITIONS
Wednesday
9.45 – 10.35 & 10.50 – 11.40 – Primary school
concerts
12.50 – 1.45 – COMPETITION - Children’s Folk Choir
1.45 – 2.55 – COMPETITION – Junior Children’s Choir
3.10 – 3.45 – COMPETITION – Senior Children’s Choir
4.15 – Children’s Choir of the World Award
Thursday
9-11.15 – COMPETITION – Traditional Folk Dance
Group
11.15 – 12.30 – COMPETITION – Children’s Folk Dance
Group
12.40 – 1.45 – COMPETITION – Young Musician
2-3.45 – COMPETITION – Stylised Folk Dance Group
3.45 – 4.15 – COMPETITION – Junior Singer FINAL
4.25 – 5.15 – COMPETITION – Youth Singer FINAL
Friday
9.30-9.50 – COMPETITION – Senior
Classical/Contemporary Dance
10-11.30 – COMPETITION – International Musician of
the Future PRELIM
1.15 – 2 – COMPETITION – International Voice of the
Future SEMI FINAL
2.10 – 3 – COMPETITION – International Musician of
the Future FINAL
Saturday
9-10.30 – COMPETITION – Mixed Choirs
10.30 – 11.45 – COMPETITION – Female Choirs
12.40 – 3.45 – COMPETITION – Open Choirs
3.55 – 5.45 – COMPETITION – A Cappella Group
Sunday
10.15 – 12.15 – COMPETITION – Voice of Musical
Theatre
PARKING
The
Eisteddfod car park is located in the field above the Pavilion and can be
accessed from the A542 (Abbey Road) by turning off at either Tower Road or
Wharf Hill. It is well sign posted. Parking at the Eisteddfod car park is
charged at £5 per day, and can either be booked in advance alongside your
tickets, or purchased on the day.
Disabled
parking is strictly blue badge only, also charged at £5. There are a limited
number of spaces and they cannot be reserved or guaranteed. They are accessible
from the Abbey Road entrance and this area can also be used for drop offs –
with the car then being moved to the main event car park.
TICKETING
POLICY FOR CUSTOMERS REQUIRING ASSISTANCE
There are spaces in the main pavilion which are allocated
specifically for wheelchair users. These areas are shown on the pavilion
seating guide on our online ticket system but are only available for purchase
directly from the Box Office in person or by calling 01978 862001.
This is to ensure the spaces are available for those that need them and
provides an opportunity for customers to discuss their individual requirements.
Wheelchair users and other customers who require a companion or
carer to assist their visit are entitled to a free ticket for the companion or
carer on production of appropriate identification.
It is advisable to book your tickets in advance to ensure that
the seats that you require are available.
FACILITIES
Limited dedicated disabled parking spaces are available near to
the main “Penddol” entrance.
The pedestrian access to the “Town End” entrance is by way of a
steep slope and is not recommended for wheelchair users.
There are solid walkways around the main site suitable for wheelchair users. Temporary pathways are also laid across parts of the grassed areas. The site is open to the elements and is therefore affected by adverse weather conditions. Please take this into account when planning your visit.
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