Welsh music festival gets the green light to welcome back fans next weekend

Cardiff’s Tafwyl festival will be the first music event in Wales to take place in front of a live audience since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March last year.

Up to 500 People will be allowed to attend the event – made up of parties of between four and six people – between 5pm and 9pm next Saturday.

You can register for the chance to be part of the audience here.

To attend you will need to submit evidence of two negative Covid tests, one PCR test up to five days before the event and a rapid LFD test 24 hours before the event gets underway.

Tafwyl is organized by Menter Caerdydd, a charity that promotes the social use of the Welsh language in Cardiff and is being staged for the 15^th time this year.

Huw Stephens

In total, fifteen bands will perform across three stages, curated by Clwb Ifor Bach from the festival’s home at Cardiff Castle and will be hosted by presenters Huw Stephens, Seren Jones and Tara Bethan.

If you are not lucky enough to be one of the 500 that can attend in person, the event will be streamed on the digital platform AM.

Among the musicians performing next Saturday are Geraint Jarman, Mared, Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, Ani Glass, Gwilym, and Breichiau Hir.

The first Tafwyl took place in the Mochyn Du pub car park in 2006 in front of a few hundred people.

In 2019 the festival attracted a crowd of over 40,000 to Cardiff Castle.

With Covid infection rates at levels last seen in August last year, a number of trial events in front of a live audience are due to take place across Wales in the coming weeks.

Swansea City’s home Championship play-off tie could become the first Welsh major sporting event with fans in more than a year later in the month and Newport County may also be welcoming fans back for their home League Two play-off tie, should earn their spot at the weekend.

The Swans haven’t played in front of fans since a goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion on 7 March last year.

Wales’ friendly international against Albania at Cardiff City Stadium on 5 June could also see a limited number of fans attending and in cricket, Glamorgan’s four-day County Championship match with Lancashire on 3 June at Sophia Gardens is also set to welcome back fans.