This year the National Eisteddfod site is only 10 minutes drive from Cwm Connell !
🏆 What the National Eisteddfod Is
The National Eisteddfod is Wales’s largest cultural festival, devoted to the Welsh language and culture — including poetry, music, drama, visual arts, folk traditions and more. It moves to a different region of Wales each year, alternating broadly between north and south locations, and attracts tens of thousands of visitors across its eight-day programme. The festival is a mix of competitions, exhibitions, performances, community events and informal cultural hubs on the maes (festival site).
The first Eisteddfod was at Cardigan Castle 850 years ago
🏰 Medieval Roots
The origin of the National Eisteddfod is traditionally traced back to a bardic competition held at Cardigan Castlein 1176, organised by Rhys ap Gruffydd. Although the word “Eisteddfod” wasn’t used then, this gathering of poets and musicians is considered the first recorded event in the tradition. Over the medieval and modern eras, these gatherings evolved, eventually becoming the formal National Eisteddfod in the 19th century, with a structure of competitions for composing, singing, performance, and prose rooted in Welsh language traditions.
Cardiff Photographer: Wales News Service
In the 20th century, the Eisteddfod became tightly linked with Welsh cultural identity and nationalist movements, fostering literature and poetry and adapting to changing times with broader programming and new partnerships.
The Modern Festival
Today, it’s often described as the biggest celebration of any minority language in Europe — with well over a thousand events during the festival week. It includes traditional competitions such as Crowning of the Bard and Chairing of the Bard, as well as music, theatre, youth and learner-focused spaces, and visual arts.
The National Eisteddfod 1-8 August 2026 is just 10 minutes drive down the lane from our cottages at Cwm Connell!
Dates: 1–8 August 2026 in Llantood (often spelled Llantwd), in north Pembrokeshire, just south of Cardigan.
- For 2026 the event’s title is Eisteddfod y Garreg Las (“Blue Stone Eisteddfod”), reflecting local heritage and landscape — the garreg las or bluestone being a notable geological symbol in the region as the stones of Pentre Ifan and many standing stones and burial sites in the area.
Gors Fawr Stone Circle, Pembrokeshire
What to Expect in August 2026
Though full programme details will come closer to the event, you can expect:
- 🎼 Traditional Bardic Ceremonies: Crowning and Chairing of the Bard
- 🎤 Competitions in poetry, prose, music, choir, drama and more
- 🎨 Visual arts and community exhibitions
- 🎉 Informal hubs on the Maes: music stages, youth spaces, folk dance, literature tents
- 🏆 Cymraeg Celebration: emphasis on Welsh language, learning and participation
- 🤝 Community showcases across Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire
