National Eisteddfod of Wales
national eisteddfod wale welsh eisteddfod genedlaethol cymru largest several eisteddfod held annually mostly wale eight day competition performance considered largest music poetry festival europe competitor typically number overall attendance generally exceeds visitor highest recently attending festival pontypridd eisteddfod held cardiff bay fencefree maes event held virtually name amgen event held oneweek period national museum wale say history eisteddfod may traced back bardic competition held lord rhys cardigan castle local eisteddfod certainly held many year prior first national eisteddfod even became regular annual event eisteddfod held national scale wale gwyneddigion eisteddfod provincial eisteddfod abergavenny eisteddfod great llangollen eisteddfod however national eisteddfod wale organisation trace history back first event held aberdare one dramatic event eisteddfod history award chair poet elli humphrey evans bardic name hedd wyn poem yr arwr hero winner announced crowd waited winner stand accept traditional congratulation chairing ceremony winner appeared announced hedd wyn killed previous month battlefield passchendaele belgium event portrayed academy award nominated film hedd wyn second world war eisteddfod held fear would bombing target instead bbc broadcast eisteddfod radio programme chair crown literature medal opposed usual prose medal awarded onward newly created rule required competition held welsh however setting mass latin allowed controversially used allow concert featuring international soloist recent year effort made attract nonwelsh speaker event official website stating everyone welcome eisteddfod whatever language speak eisteddfod offer bilingual signage simultaneous translation many event though wireless headphone also welsh learner area called maes effort helped increase taking eisteddfod reported profit £ despite costing £m stage eisteddfod attracts people annually national eisteddfod cardiff drew record crowd visitor attending proposed national eisteddfod cardiff would use permanent building host event rather traditional maes site tent due partially lack suitable land could repaired affordably festival billed eisteddfod fence medium held cardiff bay eisteddfod llanrwst returned traditional maes eisteddfod postponed month international covid pandemic first year eisteddfod taken place since event cancelled short notice outbreak great war incomplete national eisteddfod traditionally held first week august competition held welsh language however setting mass latin allowed controversially used allow concert featuring international soloist venue officially proclaimed year advance time theme text competition published organisation location begun year earlier location generally known two three year ahead eisteddfod act eliz c allowed local authority give financial support event traditionally eisteddfod venue alternate north south wale decision hold eisteddfod south wale thus seen controversial decision later reversed montgomeryshire named host county occasionally eisteddfod held england although last occasion hundred tent pavilion booth erected open space create maes field space required mean rare eisteddfod city town instead held somewhere space car parking day visitor alone requires several large field many people camp site whole week festival quasidruidic flavour main literary prize poetry prose awarded colourful dramatic ceremony auspex gorsedd bard island britain complete prominent figure welsh cultural life dressed flowing druidic costume flower dance trumpet fanfare symbolic horn plenty however gorsedd ancient institution pagan ceremony rather romantic creation iolo morganwg first became formal part eisteddfod ceremonial nevertheless taken seriously award crown chair poetry great honour chairing crowning ceremony highlight week presided archdruid important award include prose medal first introduced welsh learner year award first introduced three rank membership gorsedd ascending order honour ovates wear green robe green signifying verdant spring bard wear blue robe blue signifying season druid wear white robe white signifying old age sanctity stone circle already one created gorsedd stone usually taken local area stone circle icon across wale signify eisteddfod visited community costsaving measure eisteddfod first use temporary fibreglass stone circle druidic ceremony instead permanent stone circle also benefit bringing gorsedd ceremony onto maes previously often held many mile away hidden public well main pavilion main stage venue week fixture every year hosting gig maes bllwyfan maescaffi maes b fixture maes pabell lên literature pavilion neuadd ddawns dance hall pabell wyddoniaeth thechnoleg science technology pavilion maes learner pavilion least one theatre cwt drama drama hut tŷ gwerin folk house lle celf art place hundred stondinau stand booth group society council charity shop exhibit sell since alcohol sold maes previously noalcohol policy eisteddfod wellknown award poetry chair awarded awdl long poem strict metre new bardic chair specially designed made eisteddfod crown awarded pryddest poem free verse new bardic crown specially designed made eisteddfod eisteddfod began award welshlanguage album year albwm cymraeg flwyddyn maes b event venue england italic eisteddfod visited traditional county wale visited six seven current city wale bangor cardiff newport st david swansea wrexham visited wrexham classified town wrexham attained city status never visited st asaph attained city status gold medal national eisteddfod wale royal national mòd welsh learner year official website english official website welsh