Newport will host a Welcome Festival this Saturday as the city prepares to welcome Eisteddfod yr Urdd for the first time next year.
The local organising committee is holding the event in the city centre on 26 September. A parade will start in John Frost Square at 11am and end at The Wave on the riverfront, where there will be performances and a jamboree.
Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2027 will take place at Tredegar House, Newport, from 29 May to 4 June 2027. Children, young people, schools and families from across Wales and beyond will compete in more than 400 competitions.
The festival is one of Europe’s largest touring festivals. It attracts over 100,000 registrations to compete and contributes millions to the local economy where it is held.
Local children will also have the chance to take part in shows, projects and events leading up to the festival. Alongside the competitions there will be exhibitions and activities in the GwyddonLe (Science Tent) and the Arts and Crafts Tent, as well as performance stages featuring dancers, live bands and groups throughout each day.
Councillor Emma Stowell-Corten, Newport City Council’s cabinet member for culture and communications, said: “Hosting Eisteddfod yr Urdd is in line with our aims around not only increasing the number of children in Newport learning through a Welsh-medium education setting, but also increasing the use of Welsh more widely in the city. It is a great opportunity, one that could leave a positive legacy for generations to come, and we can’t wait to show the best of Newport to the nation once again!”
