Posts Categorized: Featured

MYSTERIOUS YETI SPOTTED HIDING FREE TICKETS AHEAD OF SUMMER SEASON

79 PAIRS OF FREE TICKETS TO BE FOUND ON SATURDAY MAY 23

Llangollen is gearing up for another unforgettable summer as TK Maxx presents Live at Llangollen Pavilion returns from June 24 to July 5, followed by the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod from July 7. Together they will bring weeks of world-class live music, international performances and headline shows to North Wales.

Before the global stars take to the Pavilion stage, fans have the chance to get their hands on FREE tickets as the hugely popular Llangollen Treasure Hunt returns on Saturday May 23.

To celebrate 79 years of the festival, 79 pairs of golden tickets will be hidden across the Pavilion grounds — each one redeemable for some of the summer’s biggest shows.

This year’s treasure hunt comes with an unexpected twist: a mysterious Yeti has been spotted in Llangollen and roaming the Pavilion grounds, secretly hiding golden envelopes ahead of the hunt.

The Furrie’ figure may look familiar to fans of Super Furry Animals, who return to the Pavilion on Thursday July 2 for a landmark headline show, performing their acclaimed Welsh-language album Mwng live in full for the very first time.

Last year more than 50,000 music lovers descended on the town for a month of spectacular shows – and 2026 is shaping up to be even bigger.

This year’s blockbuster line-up includes Rick Astley, Pete Tong Ibiza Classics, David Gray, Billy Ocean, Super Furry Animals, Bowling for Soup, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Deacon Blue and Tom Grennan, alongside a packed Eisteddfod programme featuring Emeli Sandé and the Absolute Orchestra, Michael Ball,Karl Jenkins with  Uniting Nations: One World, Global Rhythms: Made In Wales, Orchestral Qawwali Project, and the prestigious Choir of the World competition. The Eisteddfod  also offers a full daily programme of competitions and field entertainment.

Artistic Director of the Eisteddfod Dave Danford said:

“We’re now in our third year of the treasure hunt, and it’s become a real Llangollen tradition. People absolutely love it; the excitement, the friendly competition, the thrill of discovering a golden ticket. It sets the tone for the whole summer, so we couldn’t resist bringing it back.

“It’s such a brilliant way to kick off the season, and it gives fans the chance to get their hands on tickets to some of our biggest shows. With this year’s incredible lineup and the magic the Eisteddfod brings, we’re gearing up for an unforgettable summer. Happy hunting!”

The Treasure Hunt will run from 10am until 2pm on Saturday May 23.

• 79 special envelopes will be hidden around the iconic Llangollen Pavilion grounds. Each envelope contains a unique code linked to a specific headlining concert.
• Lucky finders must bring the envelope and code to the main entrance of the Pavilion to redeem their pair of tickets.
• Limit of one pair of tickets per person. Tickets must be redeemed before the Pavilion closes at 2 pm on Saturday May 23.
• All under-16s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
• Good luck and happy hunting!

Founded in 1947, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is one of the world’s most vibrant celebrations of music, dance and international friendship. Held annually in Llangollen, North Wales, the festival brings together thousands of performers and visitors from across the globe, uniting cultures through creativity, performance and competition.

Following a record-breaking 2025, the 2026 festival is set to be its most ambitious to date. Alongside an expanded programme of competitions, this year’s line-up features an exceptional series of concerts and large-scale collaborations, including bespoke orchestral performances with internationally renowned artists. These landmark events sit at the heart of an increasingly diverse programme, reaffirming Llangollen’s reputation as one of the UK’s most distinctive international arts festivals.

TK Maxx presents Live at Llangollen Pavilion 2026 is presented as part of an ongoing partnership with the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is delighted to announce a special fundraising concert taking place on Friday 8 May 2026, celebrating the richness and spirit of Welsh musical tradition.

This unique evening will feature the acclaimed male voice choir Meibion Marchan, renowned for their powerful sound and deeply expressive performances. They will be joined by an outstanding line-up of soloists: celebrated harpist Angharad Huw, soprano Branwen Medi Jones, and internationally respected tenor Rhys Meirion, who will also guide the evening as compère.

Bringing together some of Wales’ finest musical talent, the concert promises an evening of warmth, artistry and national pride, with a programme that reflects both the heritage and continuing vitality of Welsh music.

The concert will take place in the hall within the iconic Llangollen Pavilion — a setting at the heart of the Eisteddfod site, offering an intimate and atmospheric concert experience within one of Wales’ most recognisable cultural venues.

Proceeds from the concert will directly support the work of the Eisteddfod, helping to sustain its mission of bringing together performers from across the world in a spirit of peace, friendship and cultural exchange. As the festival continues to evolve and grow, events such as this play a vital role in ensuring its future and expanding its reach.

Artistic Director Dave Danford said:
“This concert is a celebration of the extraordinary musical talent we have here in Wales, and a reminder of the deep cultural roots that underpin the Eisteddfod. We are incredibly grateful to these artists for supporting the festival in this way, and we look forward to welcoming audiences for what promises to be a truly special evening.”

Audiences can expect an uplifting and memorable experience, combining choral excellence, virtuosic instrumental performance, and some of Wales’ most beloved vocal repertoire.

Tickets are now available via boxoffice.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

The Llangollen Pavilion will come alive with colour, creativity and community spirit this spring as it hosts A Crafty March, an exciting programme of hands-on workshops in aid of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. The first event, a Dragon Workshop is this Sunday for St David’s Day. 

Crafting and the Eisteddfod have so much in common. Both celebrate heritage, imagination, skill and the bringing together of people through shared creativity. From vibrant national costumes to the artistry seen on stage each summer, creativity is at the heart of the festival. ‘A Crafty March’, gives the community the chance to experience that same spirit first-hand, while helping to support the future of this internationally renowned event. 

Dragon Workshop with Jax – St David’s Day, 1 March 

Celebrate St David’s Day by making your very own dragon in a lively needlecraft workshop. 

10.00 am to 4.00 pm with a break for lunch 

Basic sewing skills required 

Materials included 

£27.50 – bring your own sewing kit 

Only 25 places available 

Tea and coffee available 

Scrapbookers Workshop – Tutorial with Sian, 22 March 

A full day creative project from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm 

£15 

Bring your own equipment 

Tea and coffee available 

Bring your own lunch 

Origami with Tony O’Hare – 29 March 

Morning session 10.00 am to 12.00 pm 

An engaging talk and demonstration exploring the fascinating origins of origami 

£7 – open to all 

Afternoon workshop 1.30pm to 3.30pm 

Twenty-first century paper folding. Will it be Wallace and Gromit? Will it be sheep? Come along and find out. 

£22 

 Steve Price, organiser of A Crafty March, said, “A Crafty March is about energy, creativity and bringing people together in the home of the Eisteddfod. Whether you are stitching a dragon, building a scrapbook or folding something extraordinary from a single sheet of paper, you are part of something bigger. These workshops are fun, welcoming, and inspiring, and every ticket sold helps support the festival. It is a wonderful way for people to get involved, learn something new and help secure the future of this iconic celebration of music and dance.” 

Places are limited and expected to fill quickly. Early booking is strongly recommended.   

For further details and booking information, visit www.llangollen.net / karen.price@llangollen.net

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has secured a remarkable coup for its 2026 festival, with Dame Darcey Bussell confirmed as a guest judge and ambassador for the dance competitions.

Dame Darcey will adjudicate selected competitions on Saturday 11 July 2026 in Llangollen, offering dancers a rare opportunity to perform in front of one of the most celebrated and influential figures in the world of dance.

Entries are open now, with the deadline set for Sunday 22 February 2026. Dancers across the UK and internationally are being encouraged to enter and take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity.

A former Principal of The Royal Ballet for almost twenty years, Dame Darcey performed more than 80 roles, with 17 created especially for her. She has appeared as a guest artist with leading ballet companies across the world and remains one of the most recognisable and respected names in dance. Today she continues to champion the artform as President of the Royal Academy of Dance, a coach to principal dancers, author, broadcaster and former judge on Strictly Come Dancing.

Her involvement highlights the growing profile and ambition of dance at Llangollen. For 2026, the festival has expanded its dance competitions from five to fourteen distinct classes, welcoming a broader range of styles and performers than ever before.

Dame Darcey Bussell DBE said, “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 2026. It is a truly inspiring celebration of music, dance and cultures from across the world, and the expanded dance categories create a wonderful international platform for performers of all styles to be seen, celebrated and united. I can’t wait to experience the extraordinary talent and share in the magic of this iconic festival.”

Fiona Brockway, Trustee of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and a former First Soloist with The Royal Ballet, said, “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Dame Darcey Bussell’s extraordinary expertise, global influence, and passion for dance to inspire and celebrate performers on our iconic stage this July.”

Dancers can enter and compete as soloists, duets, trios or groups across all styles and genres. Performances may last up to three minutes and competitors of all ages are welcome.

Successful applicants will be notified by Thursday 5 March 2026.

Full details on how to enter can be found at eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk/solo-and-duet-trio-dance

A talented young Welsh composer says it means the world to him to have his specially commissioned work provide a stunning fanfare to this year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod along with musical legend Sir Karl Jenkins.

In its far-reaching new initiative, Harmony Without Borders, the Eisteddfod invited early-career composers born, living or studying in Wales to apply for a £6,000 paid commission, made possible thanks to significant support from the Arts Council of Wales, to create a six-minute bilingual work for choir and orchestra.

The piece, still under its working title of Greeting the Dawn, will receive its world premiere on Tuesday July 7 as part of the festival’s flagship opening concert, Uniting Nations: One World, a centrepiece of the 2026 artistic programme.

This special evening, featuring Sir Karl Jenkins conducting his own powerful work, One World, opens the festival with a message of unity, renewal and global collaboration.

The young composer selected by a panel of musical experts including Brian Hughes, Anthony Gabrielle and Tori Longdon, is 29-year-old Sam Buttler, originally from Cardiff, who has already made a significant impact on the world of music during his relatively short career. In 2024 he was the recipient of the 2024 Paul Mealor Award for Young Composers from the Welsh Music Guild.

He took part in the 2025 Composers Academy at the Cheltenham Festival, writing a new work for George Parris and The Carice Singers. He was also a member of the 2024 JAM on the Marsh Composer’s Residency, writing an opera based on the films of Derek Jarman with a libretto by Grahame Davies.

In 2024 he released his debut EP with Ensemble Matters, To the Waters and the Wild… for Pierrot Ensemble and in 2023 he was selected as part of the Peter Reynolds Composers Studio at the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, writing two new works for cello octet and violin and piano.

Sam was chosen as one of the six composers for Tŷ Cerdd’s CoDI Lead scheme, working closely with a quartet of musicians from Paraorchestra on a new work, Chariots, Death, Jewels, and the Moon, premiered in 2022. The same year he had his work Stones Have Memory Here featured as the BBC NOW Composition: Wales.

He is a keen music educator, having taught at secondary and higher education levels for the past seven years in composition and academic music. He has been a Graduate Teaching Assistant at King’s College, London since 2021 and specialises in helping people with composition and integrating it into their learning, as well as getting students to be confident in their music creation.

Sam started in music when he was just four years old, first playing the recorder then swapping to the oboe. He played in county orchestras and wind bands all the way through school and became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales. He went on study music at St Peter’s College, Oxford, where he was also a choral scholar and from where he graduated in 2017. He completed his Master’s in Composition at Royal Holloway and is currently in the final stages of his PhD in Music Composition at King’s College, London.

Speaking of how much it means to him that his newly-penned work will be premiered at such on auspicious occasion, a delighted Sam said: “It means the world. I’ve never had an opportunity on this scale and to not only open the festival, but to have my music alongside Sir Karl Jenkins’s – another Welsh oboist and composer – is something I don’t think I could have ever imagined.

“It means so much that my music will open the Eisteddfod, as so often the ‘new music’ is not given such a prominent spot. I can’t thank everyone involved enough.”

He added: “I’m still slightly in shock. Wales has such an incredible musical culture, and especially some brilliant composers. It’s easy to feel like no-one is hearing your musical voice, so to be selected from such a strong field is amazing.

“The spirit of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod also really appealed to me. Music has the power to bring people together and can be a real force for good.”

A global search has been launched to find a new international singing star. The prestigious Pendine International Voice of the Future competition will be one of the main highlights of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod which gets underway on Tuesday, July 7.

The aim of the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition which started in 2013 is to advance the careers of the world’s most gifted young singers.

The competition is once again being sponsored by the arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust, which was established to support cultural and community initiatives across Wales.

The winner will be presented with the Pendine Trophy – a solid silver salver – and the £3,000 prize while the runner up will get a cheque for £1,000.

The competition has been given a major boost after Pendine pledged to continue to back it for the next five years.

Applications to compete are now being accepted. The closing date is March 12 and more details of how to enter can be found at https://eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk

Thanking Mario and his wife, Gill, for their support, the Eisteddfod’s Artistic Director Dave Danford said it was a wonderful start to the new year and a great boost to ongoing preparations for this year’s festival.

Talented singers from all over the world who have triumphed in previous competitions have hailed it as an invaluable stepping stone in helping them achieve their musical dreams.

Among them are two past winners, Shimona Rose, of Singapore, and South Walian Eirlys Myfanwy Davies, who will both be returning as stars of this year’s festival in the long-awaited staging of Uniting Nations: One World concert on the opening night

Shimona and Eirlys will take on the solo performances in One World, composed and conducted by Sir Karl Jenkins.

Also taking part will be a  massed choir of more than 100 singers from WorldChoir and NEW Voices along with the Llangollen International Orchestra.

Dave Danford said: “The outstanding success stories of Shimona and Eirlys epitomise what a difference entering the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition can make to fledgling careers.”

“It has rightly earned a global reputation as one of the most prestigious competitions in classical music.

“Not only do entrants get the chance to perform before a packed audience at one of Europe’s biggest folk festivals, but for many it has proved a launch pad to a successful professional career in opera or classical music.

“The £3,000 first prize is a tremendous help to any young singer starting out. It goes a long way towards financing them through music college, post-graduate training or just furthering their careers.

“We are very excited about what this year’s competition will bring in terms of as yet undiscovered talents.

“We know from past experience that there are some brilliant singers out there just waiting for a chance to step in the spotlight and show the world what they can do – we encourage them to come forward and enter the 2026 competition.

“Whether competitors are from just down the road right here in Wales, or from Europe, Asia or the Americas, we welcome applications from any musicians who dream of the chance of making music their lifetime career.”

Mario Kreft said: “This competition chimes perfectly with our ethos at Pendine Park where we’re celebrating our 40^th anniversary.

“The arts in general and music in particular provide the golden thread running through everything we do to enrich the lives of our residents and staff alike and it can play an incredibly important role in social care more widely.”

Each entrant is required to include an audio or video recording and proof of age with their application.

Competitors must be aged 18 or older on the first day of the competition. They are required to perform a contrasting programme of up to seven minutes in length for their preliminary rounds, and up to ten minutes for the final.

The programmes should include works from oratorio, opera, lieder, or song, and be sung in their original language.

The competitors will have to navigate the preliminary round and a semi-final, with just two singers expected to be selected for the final big-night sing-off which will be the finale of the Eisteddfod week on Sunday, July 12.

Following the closing date on March 12 a selection panel will consider the entries and choose about 25 singers who will be invited to go on to take part in this year’s competition.

Other highlights of this year’s Eisteddfod include appearances by Michael Ball, Emeli Sandé and the Orchestral Qawwali Project.

For details on how to enter the competition go to https://eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk and for the full eisteddfod programme and how to buy tickets visit https://llangollen.net

With just six weeks remaining, dancers are being urged to submit their entries for the Solo and Duet/Trio Dance Competitions at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 2026. The closing date for applications is Sunday 22 February 2026, and strong interest is already being shown from dancers across the UK and overseas.

The competitions will take place on Saturday 11 July 2026 as part of the world-famous Llangollen Eisteddfod, which runs from Tuesday 7 to Sunday 12 July 2026 in Llangollen, Northeast Wales. The 2026 festival will deliver a true dance extravaganza, underlining the Eisteddfod’s growing commitment to showcasing dance alongside its internationally renowned music and cultural programme.

A standout highlight for 2026 is the dramatic expansion of competitive dance opportunities, with categories increasing from just five in 2025 to fourteen distinct classes. This unprecedented growth opens the door to soloists, ensembles and cultural dance groups from across the globe, offering a platform for an extraordinary breadth of styles. From the elegance and precision of ballet and contemporary performance to the colour, rhythm and vitality of folk and traditional dance, the Eisteddfod stage will host more variety and energy than ever before.

Dancers can enter as solo performers or in duet and trio groups, with performances lasting up to three minutes. A wide range of styles is welcomed, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, commercial, street and ballroom. Competitions are open to dancers of all ages, with age groupings used where necessary to support scheduling. Performers may use either pre-recorded backing tracks or provide their own piano accompaniment. International medals will be awarded to the top three competitors in each category, alongside the prestige of performing on one of the world’s most respected international stages.

Dave Danford, Artistic Director of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, said, “The Llangollen Eisteddfod has always been about bringing people together through music and performance, and dance plays a vital role in that vision. The expansion of our dance competitions for 2026 is incredibly exciting and reflects strong feedback from our loyal audiences. It also reflects our ambition to welcome more styles, more cultures and more performers to Llangollen. We are very much looking forward to seeing the creativity and passion dancers will bring to the stage.”

Dancers wishing to take part are encouraged not to delay, as entry numbers are limited. Full details on how to enter can be found at eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk/solo-and-duet-trio-dance. Successful applicants will be notified by Thursday 5 March 2026.

The excitement doesn’t end with the competitions. Evening concerts throughout the week are selling fast, with audiences eager to secure seats for a spectacular line-up in the Royal International Pavilion. Highlights include Uniting Nations: One World on Tuesday 7 July, a powerful celebration of peace and global unity conducted by Sir Karl Jenkins; Global Rhythms: Made in Wales on Wednesday 8 July, showcasing vibrant Welsh creativity alongside world music influences; a mesmerising performance by the Orchestral Qawwali Project on Thursday 9 July; a World Exclusive concert with global music icon Emeli Sandé and The Absolute Orchestra on Friday 20 July; and An Evening with Michael Ball on Saturday, 11 July featuring one of Britain’s leading musical theatre performers. The week concludes on Sunday 12 July with the final of Choir of the World, a thrilling showcase of the world’s finest choral talent.

Tickets are available from Llangollen.net, and people are being encouraged to book soon as demand is high and several concerts are close to selling out.