The 2025 Llangollen International Eisteddfod, which takes place from 8-13 July, will be marking the ‘Year of Croeso’ with a series of special events. The festival, which was founded in 1947, has already confirmed over 4,000 competitors from 36 different countries who will be heading to the town this summer.
The “Year of Croeso – Only in Wales” is being organised by Visit Wales. It is the latest in a successful series of themed years, and the Llangollen Eisteddfod will be stepping up their plans for a bigger and better festival than its record-breaking festival in 2024. The Year of Croeso, or ‘welcome’, aims to celebrate the distinct and varied ways in which people from across the UK and the world can feel welcomed when they visit Wales.
Chair of the Llangollen Eisteddfod, John Gambles said, “The Year of Croeso is the perfect opportunity for our festival to continue to reach out to the world, in the same way that we have done each year since 1947 in the aftermath of a world war. Each year we have welcomed all to share cultures and celebrate difference through the common language of music and dance in an annual International Eisteddfod. Last year, we welcomed over 50,000 people to Northeast Wales during an unforgettable Summer. This had a massive benefit on our local economy. Not only did we welcome some of the world’s biggest artists like Bryan Adams, Tom Jones and Paloma Faith to Llangollen but we also welcomed over 3000 performers from 30 different countries. This year, we have had the best response from around the world for years and we can’t wait to welcome even more competitors, even more countries and bring even more colour to Llangollen.”
In 2025, some 4,000 competitors from choirs, dance groups and ensembles will head to Llangollen from around the world, along with 60 groups from across the UK. This represents the highest number of international competitors for many years, as the town once again welcomes the world to Wales.
Groups confirmed for Llangollen 2025 come from as far away as Burundi, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kurdistan, Morocco, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Républic of Congo, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, USA and Zimbabwe. There will also be 22 non-competing groups bringing a variety of choirs, dance and ensembles.
Taking place from Tuesday 8th to Sunday 13th July 2025, the week-long festival will include evening concerts from The Who’s Roger Daltrey, BRIT Award-winner KT Tunstall, classical crossover group Il Divo, West End star Lucie Jones and leading opera star Sir Bryn Terfel with Fisherman’s Friends. The festival is also co-promoting a series of ‘Live at Llangollen Pavilion’ concerts with Cuffe and Taylor, featuring bands like Human League, Texas and The Script.
Artistic Director of the festival, Dave Danford, said, “The Llangollen International Eisteddfod really has something for everyone in 2025. From World Class artists like Roger Daltrey, KT Tunstall and Sir Bryn Terfel to competitors from every corner of the globe, our festival is uniquely placed to match Visit Wales’ ambitions for the Year of Croeso. Our outside stages will be themed this year with ‘Croeso’ in mind and we can’t wait to welcome the world once again to Wales. Like Visit Wales, we celebrate our unique sense of place, from culture and language to our huge range of events and activities.”
