Full guide to this year's Eisteddfod highlights

* The then-Prince Charles dances to the bhangra beat during his visit in 2015.

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.

* Fun on the Eisteddfod field during a previous Eisteddfod.

Other highlights

1. 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.
2. The Young Peacemakers Awards Ceremony  in association with the Welsh Centre for International Affairs will also take place on Wednesday.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. A famous radio broadcast by poet Dylan Thomas about Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is being recreated to mark its 70^th 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.

Three people taken to hospital after serious smash on A5

Leaderlive is reporting this afternoon that three people were taken to hospital - one with life-threatening injuries - following a "serious" crash on the English/Welsh border this morning (Thursday, June 29).

The two-vehicle collision between a van and a car happened on the A5/A483 between the Gledrid and Halton roundabouts near Chirk just after 8am.

* For the full story, go to: Three taken to hospital following crash on A5/A483 | The Leader (leaderlive.co.uk)

Eisteddfod action in the town next week

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has released details of events off-field, in the town during next week:

What's on in July at Pengwern Community Hub

 July's what's on guide for the Pengwern Community Hub is:

Roadworks alert for Bridge Street

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Bridge Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 30 June - 04 July   Roadworks, Delays unlikely   Traffic management: Traffic control (give & take)   Description: Bbox Renew 25mm add Meter Job in Footway (6mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )   Works location: OUTSIDE 14-18   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Hafren Dyfrdwy.   Responsibility for works: Hafren Dyfrdwy   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: ZU0028102/000013403260

Skates backs idea for official trial of compulsory voting

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates (pictured) has urged the Welsh Government to explore further ways to "strengthen our democracy" by driving up the number of people who vote. 

Ahead of a debate on a civic duty to vote in the Senedd today (Wednesday) he backed comments by Plaid Cymru MS Adam Price and asked whether the Welsh Government would consider a trial into whether "compulsory participation" would increase engagement in elections. 

During First Minister’s Questions yesterday Mr Price said that 26 nations had introduced a civic duty to vote where the percentage of voting was consistently over 90%, adding: “If Wales could emulate that level of participation, it would transform our democracy.”

Mr Skates said: “Can I first of all thank Adam Price for the important question that he tabled and say that I agree with him entirely on the points that he raised in relation to the civic duty to vote.

“First Minister, I also welcome the great progress that Welsh Government is making in strengthening our democracy, particularly by giving 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote. 

"This is in stark contrast to what’s happening across the border, with the UK Tories making it more difficult for people to vote. Indeed, around 14,000 people were refused the right to vote at recent English local elections. That is surely wrong, and it’s down to new methods of proving your identity.”

Mr Skates said he believed that introducing a civic duty to vote "could lead to mass participation like we’ve never seen before" and asked whether the Welsh Government had considered a pilot scheme.

The First Minister said: “We are committed to reducing the democratic deficit in Wales by reforming electoral administration, widening access to elections and encouraging participation in our democracy. In my opinion, before introducing a formal civic duty, the people of Wales would need to support that change through the manifesto process.

“I thank Ken Skates for those further points. He’s absolutely right that the policy of this Government is to encourage participation rather than to embark on a policy of voter suppression.

“We’ve seen the results from the English local elections, where thousands of people who wished to vote were denied because of measures that I think Jacob Rees-Mogg described as a simple attempt at gerrymandering. Well, it always was that, and that was firmly exposed by the Minister who was responsible for those measures while he was in office.”

Mr Drakeford added: “There’ll be a further opportunity for Members to discuss it again at greater length tomorrow, and the idea of a trial or a pilot is something that I think is worth looking at. 

"If you were to have a change of this scale, you would want some local as well as international evidence to draw on, and I hope that that idea will be further developed in tomorrow afternoon’s debate.”

Eisteddfod back with a bang - and flower power

* Blooming marvellous: Jane Williams, chair of the Eisteddfod Floral Committee, with Mair Thornton, secretary,  and Michelle Williams, vice-chair. Picture by Mandy Jones Photography.     

  

* The famous Parade of Nations takes place on the Thursday. Picture by Barrie Potter.

The town is buzzing with excitement as final preparations get underway for the return of our iconic international festival in all its glory.

It will be the first full length Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod since before the Covid pandemic and the Parade of Nations is also coming back with a colourful cavalcade of competitors through the streets.

The event was cancelled in 2020, went online in 2021 and there was a much reduced live festival last year.

But after an absence of four years things are back to normal and thousands of singers and dancers from around the planet will be heading for the Dee Valley where it’s said that “Wales meets the world”.

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.

Meanwhile, the town itself has been festooned with bunting and an expert abseiler has placed a giant banner high above Llangollen railway station.

Llangollen Eisteddfod was founded in 1947 in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Organisers say it’s more important and relevant than ever as a force for good to foster peace and harmony between nations.

It all gets underway on Tuesday, July 4, and the competitions and concerts continue until Sunday, July 9.

Each day features a full programme of competitions in the 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.

It will be a special occasion for Eisteddfod Executive Producer Camilla King who took up her role last year but will this time preside over the event in its full, traditional format.

She said: “This is definitely our first all bells and whistles event since 2019 and I hope that people who have been in the past and really loved the event will enjoy that experience this year.

“We’re delighted that the spectacularly colourful Parade of Nations will be happening once again this year with support from Everbright Hotels.

“We will be encouraging our competitors to get involved with doing impromptu pop-ups on the Maes and interacting with the public attending the event.

“There is going to be so much going on with bands playing, a dedicated kids’ area and three performance stages, including the Globe Stage for a wide variety of music, as well at the Globe Food Court which celebrates the cuisines of eight different countries.

“There’s also the Amphitheatre showcasing our international performers and the Dome for acoustic music, talks, panel sessions and readings while elsewhere there will be free workshops in floral art, sound bath sessions, yoga, belly dancing, beginner’s Welsh, salsa and much more.

“It all takes place on a self-contained site which is safe and secure and just an easy walk into Llangollen and with secure dedicated festival car parking nearby for just £5 a day.”

The magnificent display of flowers cascading across the front of the stage is the work of volunteers on the Floral Committee whose team grow their own, buy from Liverpool Market and even occasionally beg blooms from attractive gardens in the town.

Floral Committee Chair Jane Williams said: “The theme this year is a country garden but often we don’t really know how it’s going to look until we’ve seen how the stage is set up.

“We use a lot of ironwork for the structure which has to hold the flowers in place and we have shelving and plastic containers of water and even dustbins with water for really tall plants like delphiniums which can be six to eight feet high.

“You never really know what you have until you get there – this year the foxgloves are quite ahead of time, but you just have to work with what you get and we’re grateful for donors like Chirk Castle who have been very kind this year and many others who have given flowers.”

Over the years the festival has grown into one of Europe’s premier music and dance events.

It has attracted cultural icons like Dylan Thomas who visited for the BBC 70 years ago and whose famous radio broadcast about the Eisteddfod is being recreated to mark its 70^th anniversary.

A reading from actor, writer and director Celyn Jones will be the centrepiece of a mini programme of events to celebrate Thomas’s 15-minute masterpiece on the BBC’s Home Service – tragically he was to die just a few months later in New York.

That same year the late Queen Elizabeth also attended the Eisteddfod shortly after her Coronation while two years later the late great Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, began his international career at Llangollen as a member of a choir from Modena.

The week’s 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.

Camilla added: “The bridge spanning the River Dee in the centre of town is officially one of the Seven Wonders of Wales and Llangollen Eisteddfod should be acclaimed as the Eighth Wonder. I can’t wait.”