National Eisteddfod postponed until 2021
The National Eisteddfod has been postponed until August 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The yearly Wesh language cultural festival was due to be held in Ceredigion for the first time in 28 years, near the town of Tregaron.
The “difficult” decision was taken by the organisation’s Management Board over the weekend following a number of discussions.
The aim is to move the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod to August 2022 and to hold the 2023 festival in Rhondda Cynon Taff, with the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod Proclamation Festival postponed for the time being.
Eisteddfod Court President and Chair of the Management Board, Ashok Ahir, said, “Naturally, our supporters will be disappointed, but I am sure everyone will agree that this is the right and sensible decision for us to take.
“It’s important to stress that we are not cancelling the festival, but rather postponing the Ceredigion Eisteddfod for a year.”
‘Support’
Eisteddfod Chief Executive Betsan Moses said: “The next few months are going to be difficult for the Eisteddfod, and we will be more dependent than ever on the goodwill of our supporters and friends.
“We very much hope that the community work in Ceredigion and across Llŷn, Eifionydd and Arfon can resume as soon as possible.
We’re also looking forward to starting work at grassroots level in Rhondda Cynon Taff before long, and I’d like to thank our volunteers for all their work over the past few months and years.
“In the meantime, it’s important that we all support each other and our communities across the country and stay safe. We look forward to seeing everyone in Tregaron in the summer of 2021, when we’ll be back with a fantastic festival and programme.”
The Eisteddfod said that bookings on the caravan site and stalls on the Maes would be moved from 2020 to 2021.
Composition competitions will not be reopened meaning that those who have entered between the closing dates in December last year and April of this year will wait until next year to find out whether they have won, and there will be no opportunity to enter for the 2022 Eisteddfod until next year.
Further details on frequently answered questions can be found here.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Time for a major rethink on the future shape of the Eisteddfod. Bringing it back in its current form is not going to work. The psychological refreshment that will follow this tragic year provides Wales, and our language, the opportunity to establish itself as never before. First priority – open access to the Maes for all.
What do you mean by “open access?” This wonderful celebration of our language and culture IS open to all, including and welcoming English speakers like me.
Once the Eisteddfod is watered down to some irrelevant bi-lingual event, which in practice means English, its very existence as a unique festival will be threatened, perhaps even ended.
I agree. The Eisteddfid has its USP. Other festivals are available… every weekend of the year almost.
Open Access = no admission charges to the Maes. The attendance figures for Bae Caerdydd 2018 were astronomical, 4 times as many as the usual of around 150,000. Rough mathematics works out the declared, budgeted loss for that year equates to the number of extra visitors each being exposed to the Welsh Language and its culture at 85p per head. There is a bigger argument but I would say that to complete the transformation all organisations that do not have the Welsh Language as their central theme should be denied space. People forget that the Welsh-only policy was only introduced… Read more »
Very depressing, because a year without a National Eisteddfod is a tragedy in itself, and it also shows that a very long “lock down” is expected to be needed to curb Covid -19. There has been quite a bit of comment on the Olympic athletes whose training and chances to shine have been sadly curtailed by the postponement of the Olympics in Japan, Here in Wales our cultural elite performers, in many disciplines, must be similarly “gutted” by the news, after months and even years of preparation. However, the physical health of the Nation is the primary concern here and… Read more »
Who made that decision? It’s completely insane. A decision based on panic-driven hysteria, not science. Emerging data is now showing that Covid-19 is possibly less harmful than the common flu.
Which helps to explain why average morbidity rates in Wales is currently under average. http://euromomo.eu/outputs/zscore_country_total.html
If you have any doubts, listen to Professor Sucharit Bhakdi where he explains his Open Letter to German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. (English subtitles). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsExPrHCHbw&feature=emb_title
By August we’ll probably only remember this “pandemic” as a bad dream we woke up from.