Day one: What’s on at the Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2025

This week, thousands of people are expected to land at Europe’s largest travelling youth festival, Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2025, being held at Margam Park, Port Talbot.

The Urdd Eisteddfod will host 400 competitions ranging from reciting, singing, dancing and art to hairdressing, cookery and more. Competitions begin on Monday 26th May and continue throughout the week until Saturday 30th May.

There’s been a significant amount of local support and excitement to welcome the Urdd back to the area after the Eisteddfod was last held at Margam Park in 2003, and then in Swansea in 2011.

More competitors than ever and more Welsh learners than ever will compete this year.

As well as celebrating the Eisteddfod itself, this year the Urdd is celebrating the fact that the event has attracted a record breaking 119,593 registrations to compete in the festival, which also includes a significant rise (of 42%) in the number of young Welsh learners compared to last year

Llio Maddocks, Urdd Gobaith Cymru’s Director of Arts, said: “The number of entries this year reflects the way Eisteddfod yr Urdd has evolved and grown to ensure a wide range of opportunities are available to children and young people through the medium of Welsh.

“It’s a pleasure to see that the area with the highest number of competitors this year is our host region, West Glamorgan.”

Free entry for low-income families to continue to the future

Thanks to a £200,000 support package from the Welsh Government, low-income families can claim free entry tickets to Eisteddfod yr Urdd once again this year. Today, thanks to ongoing support from the Welsh Government, the Urdd is pleased to announce that this offer will continue to the future.

Siân Lewis, Chief Executive of Urdd Gobaith Cymru said: “On behalf of the Urdd, I’d like to thank the Welsh Government for enabling us to continue offering free entry to low-income families this year and into the future, ensuring that all children in Wales, regardless of their financial situation, have the same opportunities to experience the wealth of Welsh language opportunities through the Urdd.”

Youth Show: Dal dy Ddur

Tonight at 19:30, 80 local young people will be performing in the Youth Show ‘Dal dy Ddur’. This open-air show will be performed by the Orangery, with Margam Castle providing a striking backdrop.

The show was scripted and devised by pupils from secondary schools in West Glamorgan, with Nicola Hemsley- Cole and the team at Organised Kaos collaborating on the writing, choreography and directing. The unique performance will combine circus skills, acting, singing and dancing with music devised in partnership with Tara Bethan.

The audience have been asked to bring chairs or a picnic mat to sit on to enjoy the show.

Download the Eisteddfod App to see what else is happening on the Maes throughout the week.