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Latest local traffic alert from one.network is:
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Abersylio to Efenechtyd, Llangollen, Denbighshire 17 October -
17 October Delays
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Diversion Location:
Abersylio To Efenechtyd Description:
Streetworks / License - Streetworks Responsibility
for event: Denbighshire County Council Current
status: Planned |
Despite the occasional rain showers a huge number of people have been in town for the first day of this year's Llangollen Food Festival.
Around lunchtime there were so many people packed into the town hall - just one of a number of venues - that it was a challenge to negotiate your way around the many food and fancy goods stalls there.
Market Street was also thronged with people browsing the wide selection of stalls.
It was a similar story on the station approach and platform where there are further gourmet selections on display.
The rear area of Gales Wine Bar is housing more food and drink stalls and is also doing a brisk trade.
Over at Riverside Park are a variety of hot food ourlets ranging from Mexican-style burritos to paela and jerked chicken.
People tucking in there can also listen to live music being played out on the bandstand nearby.
There's been a diverse programme of music all day just around the corner in Centenary Square.
Live cooking demonstrations from top chefs have been taking place this afternoon in the band hut in Parade Street which was also the setting earlier for a demonstration of bread making by Liz Wilson of Overton-on-Dee based Ma Baker.
The action continues this afternoon then resumes for the second day of the festival tomorrow (Sunday).
* The live music programme for the festival.
Llangollen Food Festival is on today and tomorrow and organisers say it going to be better than ever.
They say people planning to come along should prepare to indulge your taste buds, groove to live music and watch mouth-watering food demonstrations.
They can also keep the kids entertained and enjoy exclusive ticketed tasting events.
Exhibitors are the heart and soul of this festival, with around 70 vendors selling everything from Portuguese pastries to Welsh wine and handmade cheeseboards.
For the first time the festival will be making full use of the bandstand and Riverside Park which will feature live music from local bands and performers plus a selection of vendors selling everything from Jamaican street food to crepes and gourmet Mac n’Cheese.
Renowned chefs will showcase their skills and share their secrets.
A spokesperson for the festival said: "It's like watching a cooking show, but better, because you can smell and taste the results, and interactive workshops by Xplore will help keep the children entertained."
The exclusive ticketed tasting experiences will be:
* Penderyn Whisky Tasting's went down so well last year that they've been welcomed back on Saturday evening. You can taste three of the famous Welsh whisky maker’s finest offerings alongside cheeses, chutneys and crackers courtesy of The Little Cheesemonger.
* On Sunday, a selection of creations from The Little Cheesemonger will meet the rich, malty, and hoppy profiles of carefully selected beers from local brewery the Hafod Brewing Company.
Tickets for all three tasting events are available from Ticketsource.
Over-18s only.
Car parking will be free all weekend on all Denbighshire County Council car parks in Llangollen.
Manic
Street Preachers and Suede’s double headlining show at Llangollen
International MusicalEisteddfodhas sold out just an hour after going on
general sale today.
Fans
rushed to buy tickets for the first live music event to be announced for next
year’s celebrated peace festival and within an hour of going on sale all
tickets to the 5,000 capacity show had been sold.
The indie music legends will headline the Llangollen Pavilion on Friday June 28 for the first date in their UK and Ireland tour.
The show is presented in a new partnership between Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.
Chair of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Sarah Ecob
said: “As soon as we announced Manic Street Preachers and Suede were
opening their tour here, the reaction was amazing and it was clear it was going
to sell quickly.
“Having a sold out show an hour after going on general sale is
brilliant and we cannot wait to welcome these two incredible artists next
summer. This is an amazing start to our
partnership with Cuffe and Taylor and we can’t wait to announce more concerts
at our peace festival.”
Cuffe
and Taylor co-founder Peter Taylor added: “We are delighted with the reaction to
the first show we’ve announced working in partnership with the Llangollen
International Musical Eisteddfod team.
“It
was very important we got our first announcement right and to have such an iconic
Welsh artist as Manic Street Preachers alongside Suede was certainly the right
decision.
“We
now look forward to what is already shaping to be a brilliant summer in
Llangollen.”
The announcement Manic Street Preachers and Suede
will play a double headlining show in Llangollen was followed this week with
the news double platinum and BRIT award-winning artist Paloma Faith will
also head to the festival next year as part of her The Glorification Of
Sadness Tour 2024.
* Tickets for the Friday June 21 show go on sale at 10am Friday October 20 fromllangollen.net and www.ticketmaster.co.uk
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has announced details of how to compete or participate in 2024.
Across 29 categories, including nine new competitions, some of the world's top music and dance talent will travel to the iconic peace festival.
Competitions continue to sit at the heart of the Llangollen Eisteddfod.
They will take place during the core Eisteddfod week, Tuesday 2 - Sunday 7 July 2024.
For competitors, there are some fabulous opportunities and prizes up for grabs, at this international celebration of all things musical and dance.
First to open for applications are the group categories, followed by solo categories later this year.
Chair of the Llangollen Eisteddfod Sarah Ecob said: "We are delighted to open applications for what is one of the world’s most respected and renowned cultural competitions. Previous winners include Luciano Pavarotti.
"At the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod we celebrate musical excellence and next year’s event will continue that tradition. This year, we have been determined to ensure that the Eisteddfod doesn’t just survive but thrives. It’s vital however to ensure that our usual, core festival ensures supporters continue to enjoy the traditional, competitive part of the Llangollen Eisteddfod.”
As a way of celebrating the achievements of children and young people, a new Young Choir of the World competition is being introduced. For 2024 the winning choir will be showcased on the main stage at The Royal International Pavilion during the Wednesday 3 July evening concert.
Solo finalists will also have the opportunity to perform in an evening concert.
The International Voice of the
Future will be part of the Saturday 6 July evening concert and, for the
first time, International Voice of Musical Theatre finalists will perform
with a live band in the Thursday 4 July evening concert.
Other new additions include the Open Dance (Solo, Duet and Trio) category for under 11yrs, 12-17yrs, and 18yrs & over, the Children’s Open Choirs category, and the welcome return of Chamber, Adult Folk Song Choirs, Instrumental Ensemble, Vocal and Instrumental Folk Solo.
Main competitions take place in the 4,000 seat Royal International Pavilion.
In 2024, either side of the core Eisteddfod week (2-7 July), there will
be additional shows – including headliners Manic Street Preachers & Suede (Friday 28 June), and Paloma
Faith (Friday 21 June).
* Downloadable syllabus book, application forms and other competitor information is available on a dedicated website at: https://eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk/
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod organisers are asking residents to set their alarm clocks as tickets for the Manic Street Preachers and Suede go on general sale at 9am tomorrow (Friday).
Pre-Sale Tickets for the event on Friday June 28 have now sold out.
Bosses of the festival, the future of which seemed uncertain just a few weeks ago, says the ticket sales are already surpassing expectations.
They have already announced Indie music legends Manic Street Preachers and Suede, with a very special double headlining show on Friday June 28 and BRIT award-winning artist Paloma Faith who is performing on Friday, June 21 2024. They promise much more to come.
The shows are presented in a new partnership between Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.
Cuffe and Taylor, one of the UK’s top live music, theatre and event promoters, are partnering with the International Eisteddfod to promote a series of live concerts in conjunction with the world-famous peace festival.
A festival spokesperson said, “Things are moving fast and we would encourage everybody to set their alarm clocks as tickets go on sale tomorrow at 9am sharp to secure their tickets for the Manics and Suede.
"With this gig surpassing expectations
and interest in Poloma Faith going through the roof – we are confident that
with more major announcements to come – Llangollen will be the place to be next
summer.”
* You can get tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/1F005F44B47D2954
Llangollen Eisteddfod members have been reassured about the benefits of having an international promotions company handle a series of concerts next year aimed at restoring its viability.
The festival is fighting to recover from the massive loss it made last year which left its finance situation so vulnerable that it was forced to make its executive producer redundant.
Just weeks ago it was announced that the Cuffe & Taylor partnership, which is backed by the US-owned Live Nation, would be masterminding a string of high-profile music events being arranged around the main Eisteddfod – July 2-7 next year – featuring the bands Manic Street Preachers plus Suede and singing star Paloma Faith as part of their 2024 tours.
Cuffe & Taylor will also help arrange three of the traditional evening concerts during the Eisteddfod, one of which, it was revealed, would be the kind of big-name act that the festival would have booked on its own before the financial crisis hit.
Eisteddfod leaders called a meeting of members last night (Wednesday) in St Collen’s Church to update them on the situation and to allow them to hear and closely question promoters Dan Cuffe and business partner Peter Taylor.
Eisteddfod chair Sarah Ecob welcomed around 40 people, including committee and trustee board members, to the meeting which also had over 20 members taking part via Zoom.
She said dedicated groups were already at work on an action plan aimed at getting the Eisteddfod back on track after finding itself in a “very dire financial situation”.
The chair said the festival realised it would have to do better in a number of areas including communication, marketing and TV broadcasting – figures she displayed showed that last year’s festival had attracted just 26 UK press articles, 13 international ones and 106 online.
She explained that due to the financial situation the festival had struggled to bring in big names for the evening concerts in the way it used to, adding that the partnership with Cuffe & Taylor would now bring financial security while ensuring the Eisteddfod remained true to its traditional ethos of international peace.
“Social media was set ablaze by the Manic Street Preachers announcement and we have more to come,” she revealed.
Ms Ecob told the audience that the festival now planned to take on an artistic director and fundraiser, both working on a freelance basis, and make announcements soon about its 2024 competitions and programme.
Cuffe and Taylor explained their background as two young men from Lancashire who has teamed up in 2009 to begin arranging local musical events and then eventually gone international after joining forces with the American company Live Nation.
Admitting that the Eisteddfod was the first major event of its type they had worked with, Dan Cuffe said: “We have our expertise but we want you to tell us how to do this. We want to build on your existing organisation.”
Peter Taylor said: “I know you are bit concerned that this big American company is coming in and will take over but we have worked well with other venues which have had hard times, such as the Peace Hall in Halifax, and that gives us the experience of how we can do this.”
Their message was reinforced by Dave Danford, who has been involved with the production of every Eisteddod concert over the past decade.
He said: “I was in a three-hour meeting with Cuffe and Taylor and had my reservations but left feeling very positive. I am confident our partnership with them is the way forward.”
And Keith Potts, who has been deeply involved with the behind-the-scenes production of various aspects of the festival for many years, said: “They don’t want to come in and change the Eisteddfod, they want to enhance the Eisteddfod. The Eisteddfod will carry on and we will have the financial backing of this company to make sure that we can do that.”
During a question-and-answer session someone asked from the floor what would happen if Live Nation wanted to change the Eisteddfod.
Peter Taylor replied: “We have a contract with your trustees and through that you will be protected.”
Sarah Ecob assured: “Apart from the three evening concerts, Cuffe & Taylor will have no involvement with the Eisteddfod at all and details of the contract are currently being negotiated with them.”
She added that when it came to arranging the three evening concerts the partners would work in collaboration with the trustees.
Towards the end there was a stark warning from former Eisteddfod chairman Dr Rhys Davies who said: “The Eisteddfod itself needs to change and attract new audiences. If it doesn’t move forward it will die.”
