Why I’m REALLY Excited about this Year’s Eisteddfod!

The Eisteddfod is a yearly cultural festival for all things Welsh. The language, the culture, the food, music, literature, art and everything in between. I always look forward to this festival, and this year in particular, for a couple of reasons.

First of all, the food- lots and lots of food. Pizzas, roast, home cooking, seafood in a whole variety of stalls and restaurants it would make your head spin. Secondly, the Eisteddfod will be going back to Montgomeryshire, which is mostly beautiful rolling hills and green grass, perfect for a festival with tons of large tents and theatrics.

 

There is nothing quite like it, really. There are sights to see, people to meet and places to go. The best part about enjoying all of this is that you get to do it with so many other people. This year, in particular, I will be staying in a caravan with the boys, and aside from all the food available, there is a liquor shop that we will be having our eyes on- though, hopefully, this year, nobody gets their left eyebrow shaved off (as they say, “Make mistakes, then memories”). What’s funny is, these are friends I’ve made while going to the Eisteddfod for the past few years. These gentlemen don’t all live in the same area as I do, yet somehow we successfully made a pact for what is essentially a couple of days long camping trip, with the added attractions. It’s cool because throughout the trip, we will be surrounded by what we grew up with and the attractions that caused us to meet- namely the awesome concerts during the night time.The Eisteddfod brought us together, as I’m sure it had countless others, and even if we only have this time once per year, it really feels both familiar and new at the same time.

 

It will be an entire week of entertainment and fun, all the while celebrating culture. There’ll be choirs, concerts- both modern and classical, dances, shows, Gorsedd of the Bards and, of course, competitions, which give chances for rewards and prizes.

Also, even for people who don’t speak Welsh, like one of my friends I’ll be camping with, the festival is still accessible since there are translations everywhere and the festival was made to be as open as possible. Surely language won’t be a barrier especially for the performances and art shows, though the comedy acts might be a little hard to follow.

Really, though, at the core of this event, what really impresses me is the fellowship that can be formed by those who attend. There is just something about cultural festivals that really bring people together. Living the experience with thousands of other people and seeing how the culture has progressed and what still lives in us today hits home, and you will feel it, even if you just went to have a trip with the boys.