Reggae Roast and Mr Williamz to join Ali Campbell at Live in Llangollen

* Ali Campbell appears at the Pavilion on June 28.

Reggae legend Ali Campbell is set to deliver an unforgettable night in Llangollen as he adds more special guests to his headline show live at the Pavilion this summer.

UB40 featuring Ali Campbell are bringing their iconic sounds to Llangollen on Saturday June 28.

Final tickets are on sale now from llangollen.net and ticketmaster.co.uk

Ali has already announced he will be joined at Llangollen Pavilion by Bitty McLean. He is now delighted to reveal British collective Reggae Roast featuring Mr Williamz will open the show.

* Mr Wlliamz.

Reggae Roast are one of the UK’s leading sound systems, known for their explosive live shows and authentic roots sound. With a mix of deep basslines, classic dub rhythms and modern dancehall energy, they’ve earned a reputation for delivering the true spirit of reggae to audiences worldwide and joining them will be celebrated reggae artist Mr Williamz.

Mr WIlliamz emerged onto the reggae scene in 2008 with his debut single Babylon in Helicopter, earning him BBC’s UK Artist of the Year award. In 2020, he collaborated with Reggae Roast to release the hit single Never B4, which quickly amassed millions of streams worldwide.

Ali Campbell’s unmistakable voice has driven UB40 to achieve more than 70 million record sales and 51 UK chart hits. This highly anticipated headline show marks his return to Llangollen, where he

last performed as part of the prestigious International Eisteddfod in 2016. With a legacy spanning more than 45 years, fans can expect a night filled with timeless classics.

* Bitty McLean.

The announcement is the latest reveal for summer 2025 which will also see headline concerts from James, The Human League, Rag’n’Bone Man, Olly Murs, Texas and The Script.

The concerts are presented in a partnership between Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor and Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

* For more information and to purchase tickets go to Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod - Home

Llangollen Scout helps shape future of the movement

                 

* Edward Darby from Llangollen with Sam Brumby from Wrexham a the Manchester event.

Young people from Clwyd area, including Llangollen, joined other Scouts from across the UK at the world-famous Etihad Stadium in Manchester, to help shape the future of the Movement.

The landmark youth forum was one of the first events of its kind taking place in early spring 2025, to help the largest youth organisation in the country to create its next decade of sustainable growth. 

From every Scout County or Area, two Scouts aged 10 to 14 and two Explorer Scouts aged 14-18, supported by two adult volunteers, have been invited to youth forums in Belfast, Edinburgh, Manchester and Oxford to give as many young people as possible the chance to input into the Movement’s future plans. The adult volunteers taking part in the event were all also under 25 years old.

Clwyd Area Scouts, which is made up of over 2,000 young people from across North East Wales sent two delegations to an event at Manchester's Etihad Stadium, including 14-year-old Llangollen Scout Edward Darby. 

The day forum event consisted of workshops and plenary sessions where those attending were able to examine draft plans for the future of the Movement and update and modify those plans in the light of their experiences. 

The sessions including activities look at the future of scouting, our connection to nature and the outdoors, safety and safeguarding and youth voice. As well as attending the forum, Scouts from across the country have been invited to take part in activities to share their ideas to help shape the future of Scouting.

Clwyd Area Youth Lead, Aimee Curtis, from Wrexham, who supported young people at the event, said: "Being part of the first ever Scouts UK Youth Forum was an incredible experience. Making sure Scouting is Youth Shaped at every level is crucial for our future, ensuring we offer activities that truly engage young people in the 21st century. 

"Events like this are crucial for that. The young people we took were fantastic—they contributed brilliantly, fully engaged in every activity, and proved themselves to be real change makers. They’re helping Scouts move forward, continue delivering Skills for Life, and shape a future strategy that will leave a lasting impact on them, their peers, and generations to come."

Llangollen Flower Club special event this month

                    

Talks arranged to mark Llangollen Railway's golden anniversary

* Llangollen Station pictured in about 1963.

As part of Llangollen Railway's 50^th anniversary celebrations  - and the national Railway 200 celebrations -  this year, a series of monthly talks have been arranged at Llangollen Station.

Entitled 'Pioneering Engineering' the series focuses on different aspects of the railway's history over the past 160 years. 

The first speaker on Saturday March 15 is John Violet from the Thomas Brassey Society. Brassey who was born a few miles south of Chester in 1805.  

Brassey’s career began as a trainee surveyor on Thomas Telford’s Shrewsbury to Holyhead road through North Wales.  

He learned a lot about civil engineering, became a quarry manager on the Wirral and then set up his own business as a railway contractor. 

Brassey was at the forefront of ‘railway mania’, building one third of all the railways in this country during his lifetime, including the line through Llangollen. 

He built railways all over the world, on almost every continent and, at the height of his career, employed an estimated 85,000 men in his global workforce.

* Tickets are £5 each, with the talk commencing at 6pm in the station's Henry Robertson suite. Full details can be found at: https://llangollen-railway.co.uk/pioneereing-engineering-talks/

Children’s TV favourite Andy Day returns to Llangollen Eisteddfod.

* Andy Day and his band The Odd Socks are bound for Llangollen this summer.

Beloved children’s TV presenter Andy Day will be back in Llangollen on Sunday July 13 as part of the International Eisteddfod’s Family Fun Day. 

And this time he’ll be bringing his brilliant band the Odd Socks along for the ride. 

The centrepiece of the day will be a lunchtime concert in the Pavilion, produced in association with Music for Youth, featuring sets from Andy and the Odd Socks, along with a variety of talented youth music groups, handpicked from both around the UK and from the Eisteddfod’s visiting international groups.

 

Alongside the concert in the Pavilion, the Family Fun Day will feature a host of fun activities for all ages, along with a variety of performances on the Eisteddfod’s outside stages, from both visiting international competitors and professional performers.

  

Artistic Director of the festival, Dave Danford, said: “Andy went down a storm at last year’s Family Fun Day, so we’re delighted that he’s agreed to return this summer, especially with his band coming as well. 

"They’ll be featuring in our lunchtime concert in the Pavilion, which we’re looking forward to working on with our partners Music for Youth, who will be bringing along some of the UK’s finest young musicians to share the stage. It’ll be a brilliant day out for the whole family.”

* Tickets are available from Llangollen.net, with family tickets starting from £21 for an adult and up to 2 children.

 

Taking place from Tuesday-Sunday July 8-13, the week-long festival will include evening concerts from The Who’s Roger Daltrey, BRIT Award-winner KT Tunstall, classical crossover group Il Divo, West End star Lucie Jones and leading opera star Sir Bryn Terfel with Fisherman’s Friends. 

The festival is also co-promoting a series of ‘Live at Llangollen Pavilion’ concerts with Cuffe and Taylor, featuring bands such as The Human League, Texas and The Script.

Body found in river during search for missing man, says story

North Wales Live is reporting this afternoon that a body has been found in the River Dee in Llangollen in the search for a missing man.

* For the full story, go to: Tragedy as body found in river during search for missing man - North Wales Live 

Llanfest in the Pavilion announced for 2025

Just days after announcing that they will be taking over the day-to-day running of the Llangollen Pavilion, the Llangollen Eisteddfod has announced Llanfest 2025, a one-day event with 7 of the best up and coming bands in North Wales and the North West. 

Llanfest 2025 will take place at the Llangollen Pavilion, on Sunday, 8 June from 2pm until 10.30pm.

From rock anthems, to indie tunes and euphoric club classics - there is something for everyone at Llanfest 2025.  The bands come from Llangollen, Corwen, Liverpool, and across North Wales and the North West. 

Keith Potts, from the festival said: "We're delighted to be announcing our first major event just days after revealing we are taking over running the Pavilion full-time. Llanfest has been a much-loved event for many years in Llangollen promoting the best in live music from our region and beyond. This is a brilliant way to kickstart our new venture. We are determined as an organisation to put events on that bring our community together and we can't wait to welcome everyone to our Pavilion - it's like the Eisteddfod has come early."

There will be food and drink on offer and live music from 2.30pm right through to 10.30pm. 

* Early bird tickets are on sale now (priced £15 plus booking fee) and can be booked through https://boxoffice.international-eisteddfod.co.uk/ChooseSeats/73821

RUNNING ORDER: 

1.     The Cazadors, 5-piece rock, funk & soul band from Llangollen..

2.     Seprona are a 'Hip shaking' Liverpool 5-piece rock band, making a welcome return to Llanfest. 

3.     Muddy Elephant are a 4-piece indie band that live to perform, hailing from Manchester.

4.     Galore, 7-piece psychedelic revivalists, their influences include 60s British Invasion, Freakbeat and Mod.

5.     Monstaball are well known for their high energy performances, exceptional musicianship, guaranteed to create an exhilarating party.

6.     Chilled, an indie rock band formed in 1998 and based in and around  Corwen.

7.     Amnesia are a Liverpool Based Club Classics Dance Band. Euphoric Dance Tracks performed 100% LIVE!

 2pm-10.30am £15 early bird (put discount code LLANFEST25 to wipe the booking fee or £20 on the day.

* Galore.

* Monstaball.

* The Cazadors.

* Chilled.

* Muddy Elephant.

* Seprona.

* Amnesia.