At today’s Council meeting in Aberystwyth, the National Eisteddfod announced that the 2019 festival will be held in Llanrwst.
Chief Executive, Elfed Roberts, said, “There’ll be thirty years since the festival last visited the Conwy Valley in 2019, and everyone are looking forward to returning to an area which was an excellent home for the Eisteddfod back in 1989.
“Today’s announcement is the next step in preparing for the Eisteddfod. The committees have all been created and are already hard at work. We are looking forward to starting the work at grasroots level across the whole of Conwy county, to ensure the success of the project and the festival in the area.”
The news was welcomed by Councillor Gareth Jones, Leader of Conwy County Borough Council, “We’re delighted that the 2019 Eisteddfod will take place in Conwy County Borough, and we’d like to congratulate Llanrwst for being chosen to host this national event.
“We’ll be supporting the Eisteddfod Committee with their arrangements over the next eighteen months as they prepare for their event.”
The Eisteddfod Council were also told that the Anglesey festival earlier this year left a surplus of £93,200.
Announcing this, Elfed Roberts said, “Today is a chance to look back at the week in Bodedern at the beginning of August. Although we had bad weather during the first weekend, it was a memorable Eisteddfod, and we are very grateful to the people of Anglesey, our terrific volunteers and visitors for this.
“From the start, the Chair of the Executive Committee, Derec Llwyd Morgan, wanted to see young people involved in all elements of the work preparing for the Eisteddfod. It was great to see such excellent co-operation between people of all ages across the project, from steering the work selecting competitions to organising and holding hundreds of community events and activities across the island.
“The Anglesey team were determined to reach the Local Fund target, and this happened, smashing the target by almost £90,000 by the end of festival week. This was done thanks to the careful and organised leadership of the Chair of the Finance Committee Chair, Haydn Edwards, and a team of active and creative local committees, and we are very grateful to them for all their work.
“It was great to see so many groups and individuals competing with 15 choirs taking part in one competition during the first weekend! We also saw so many young competitors on the stage with Côr Ieuenctid Môn winning the Festival Choir prize at the end of the week.
“And we must mention the Eisteddfod Choir project and A Oes Heddwch? Created to commemorate the centenary of the Great War, the work was created by Aled and Dafydd Hughes (Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog), Guto Dafydd, Paul Mealor and Grahame Davies, taking its inspiration from the story of Hedd Wyn, and the boys from Anglesey and Gwynedd who fought in the war. This was a brand new and original work, with a 250 strong choir of local voices who were an integral part of the whole project.
"Today is also an opportunity to thank all our partners, and Anglesey County Council in particular, its staff and elected members, for all their support and help over the past two years. We are also grateful to the emergency services and the bus companies who were so integral to the success of the shuttle buses service during the week. This year was a real partnership, and we are grateful for all co-operation.
“And we now turn towards Cardiff and the urban experimental festival in the Bay from 3-11 August next year. We look forward to using a combination of the Bay’s iconic buildings, including the Wales Millennium Centre and the Senedd, and our attractive temporary structures, already familiar to Eisteddfod visitors.
“It will be a very different festival, but it will still have an Eisteddfod vibe. Our hope is to mix the old and new, the familiar and the unfamiliar, creating a festival offering something for everyone. It is a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity, and I’m looking forward to hearing what people have to say in August next year.
“Caravan pitches will be available from 1 February, with the site situated on Pontcanna Fields. You’ll remember that the site sold out very early in Anglesey, so make sure you buy your pitch as soon as you can. We’ll also be publishing more details on Cardiff over the next few months.
More information and copies of the Anglesey Eisteddfod evaluation report, and all the results from festival week online, www.eisteddfod.wales.