National Eisteddfod 2025 prepares for closing events

The 2025 National Eisteddfod in Wrexham comes to an end on Saturday night after a busy day of competitions in the Pavilion and fun and socialising across the Maes.

To close the Eisteddfod, three significant events are taking place.

In the Pavilion, a presentation titled Epilogue will be followed by a gig featuring the popular folk group Bwncath on the main stage and afterwards, there will be a very special performance.

A new arrangement of one of the most well-known Welsh songs will be sung for the first time during the Epilogue, which begins at 7:30pm.

Original music

Since the start of the year, composer Robat Arwyn has been collaborating with Archdruid Mererid Hopwood to create new songs to be performed by former winners of the Eisteddfod’s main competitions. The talented ensemble will be joined by a small group of musicians for the presentation.

To conclude the event, the new arrangement of Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night) will be performed. The song was written by John Ceiriog Hughes, one of Wales’ most prominent poets of his time, who hailed from Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, a village in this year’s Eisteddfod catchment area.

Robat said the ensemble – Meinir Wyn Roberts, Siriol Elin, Caitlyn Drake, and Lili Mohammed – will sing together and also perform solo during the presentation.

He shared: “Mererid has written six new poems for the presentation, which will bring the Eisteddfod in the Pavilion to a close and look ahead to next year’s Eisteddfod in Y Garreg Las.

“They are light-hearted songs, and we hope the audience will sit back and relax after a busy week of competing, socializing, and enjoying.”

Robat Arwyn is one of Wales’ most prominent composers. His notable compositions include the songs Anfonaf Angel and Benedictus. He wrote the melody for Anfonaf Angel in 2008 with Hywel Gwynfryn, and it has since been recorded by many artists. The version by Bryn Terfel was especially successful in raising money for the Wales Air Ambulance.

Bwncath released their third album during the spring, and the group from the Caernarfon area is expected to include several songs from Bwncath III in their set on the Maes Stage. The gig is expected to be striking, with a colourful set and special lighting system.

Singing will begin at 9pm.

Spectacle

A classic Welsh novel, which portrays a vision of Wales in the year 2033, inspired the final spectacular event of this year’s National Eisteddfod.

This special event will combine the talents of disabled and non-disabled artists to create a magical space that welcomes diversity, breaks boundaries, and celebrates inclusivity.

The Eisteddfod’s artistic team has collaborated with an experienced producer, a prominent director, and a versatile choreographer to create the event, which is based on the science fiction novel Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd (A Week in the Wales of the Future) by Islwyn Ffowc Elis. It will take place outdoors immediately after the closing presentation in the Pavilion.

Sioned Edwards, Deputy Artistic Director of the National Eisteddfod, said: “Taking inspiration from Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd and celebrating 10 years of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, we aim to create an outdoor spectacle to close the Eisteddfod.

“Like the novel, the show will travel through time to show how today’s decisions can affect our future, leading to two possible futures – utopian or dystopian – and the role we must play in creating a prosperous, egalitarian, and productive future.”

In recent weeks, Cirque Bijou and artists from their Extraordinary Bodies project have supported freelance artists in producing large-scale outdoor work, giving them opportunities to develop skills, collaborate, and learn from some of the industry’s leading names.

Next year’s Eisteddfod will be staged at Llantood near Cardigan – 850 years since Lord Rhys staged the very first Eisteddfod.

It will start on 1 August and continue until 8 August 2026.

More information online at www.eisteddfod.cymru