News

Today sees the publication of the Tafwyl 2021 Evaluation Report by Menter Caerdydd, highlighting our audience’s hugely positive response to this year’s Festival.

Following the huge success of Tafwyl Digidol (digital) and in light of another challenging year of COVID-19 restrictions, the concept of Tafwyl was developed further.

Our ambitious vision was to create a virtual event which would reflect the core values of the traditional festival: be an opportunity to celebrate the Welsh language, arts and culture by means of music, conversations, literature, entertainment and a variety of activities for children.

As restrictions began to be lifted, the Welsh Government announced that a number of pilot test events would be held and Tafwyl was selected as one of them.

We welcomed 500 people to Cardiff Castle on 15 May to enjoy the latter part of this year’s festival – with everyone following strict testing guidelines beforehand and rigorous health and safety rules on the festival site.  Social distancing rules were in place, with each group seated at their table for the evening, enjoying table service from the on-site food and drink stalls.  It was such a special experience to have a small audience within the walls of the Castle for a few hours to celebrate Tafwyl’s 15^th anniversary.

Tafwyl was the first music festival in Wales to play live music in front of a live audience since March 2020.

Despite the presence of our audience in the Castle, it was equally important to offer an exciting experience and the feel of a live festival to our viewers joining in at home. Tafwyl 2020 opened our eyes to digital possibilities and we were eager to build on last year’s line-up and ensure a more accessible and comprehensive experience for our audience.

At the heart of the Tafwyl vision this year was offering a worthy stage for the artists, and the experience was developed further by providing English subtitles on the live stream on the day of the festival. The aim was to welcome our diverse audience of Welsh learners, those who are less confident or don’t speak the language and ensure they too felt part of the festival.

A world-wide audience of more than 35,000 tuned in to enjoy the digital festival with viewers from the USA, China, Russia, Argentina and Indonesia to name but a few countries.

• 16 SETS BY LEADING ARTISTS FROM WALES AND BRITTANY PERFORMING 90+ SONGS;
• 29 CONTRIBUTORS IN 11 ORIGINAL SESSIONS IN ‘LLAIS’;
• 7 SESSIONS OFFERING A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW ‘LLES/WELLBEING’ AREA;
• 14 SESSIONS FOR CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE IN ‘BWRLWM’;
• A PLATFORM FOR 20 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO CELEBRATE THEIR TALENTS;
• 25 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS FROM THE CITY PERFORMING ALONGSIDE ARTISTS FROM THE WEST END;

43% of the audience watched all afternoon, with a further 18% dipping in and out.  100% felt the Festival was welcoming and 100% said they’re likely to return next year.

As we look ahead to Tafwyl 2022, we will review and revise our vision as we consider the successes, opportunities and challenges of our hybrid festival this year.  We will continue our pioneering efforts, learn and evolve to provide a proud and inclusive festival that celebrates the language, arts and culture of Wales, confidently in the heart of Cardiff.

The full report here.

Notes to editor 

• Tafwyl is organised by Menter Caerdydd; a charity which promotes and extends the social use of the Welsh language in Cardiff.
• Tafwyl’s audience has grown impressively over the years from just over 1,000 people in 2006, to nearly 40,000 attendees in 2019. It has always been a free event, open to all – Welsh speakers, Welsh leaners, and non-Welsh speakers alike – appealing to families and people of all ages and backgrounds.

Decorate your home ready for #Tafwyl21 with these FREE downloadable Tafwyl bunting and poster colour sheets by Efa Lois! Or why not head outdoors to see if you can spot some of the wild flower hiding within Tafwyl’s brand this year.

Remember to share your masterpieces with us on social media platforms @tafwyl // #Tafwyl21.

Colouring Sheets

Click the images to download the PDF’s!

Tafwyl Bunting

Click the image to download the pdf!

The artists who will be performing at Tafwyl festival in May have been announced. 

Among the musicians are Geraint Jarman, Mared, Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, Ani Glass, Gwilym, and Breichiau Hir. 15 bands will perform across 3 stages, curated by Clwb Ifor Bach. There will also be a performance by Breton band, EMEZI, through a partnership between Tafwyl and the Breton festival Gouel Broadel ar Brezhoneg (GBB).

“After a quiet year, I’m really looking forward to returning to the castle to play at this year’s festival. It will be a great opportunity to say goodbye to a difficult time and celebrate a new beginning for us all.” – Ani Glass 

The event will be streamed on the digital platform AM, live from the festival’s home at Cardiff Castle, hosted by presenters Huw Stephens, Seren Jones and Tara Bethan.

“I’m delighted to present Tafwyl for the first time with Huw and Tara this year. It’s a privilege to be part of the team, to broadcast from my home, Cardiff, and to enjoy our culture. After a tough year for everyone, I think Tafwyl is the best way to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter!” – Seren Jones

As well as the live music there will be an exciting mix of discussions, talks and workshops for children in an ambitious programme of varied events.

The discussions include a session with the FAW as we look forward to enjoying the ‘Euros from home’; a special recording of ‘Beti a’i Pobol’ with Sara Yassine (BBC Radio Cymru); and the launch of the first LGBTQ+ Welsh language podcast, ‘Esgusodwch Fi?’. 

There will be a schedule of sessions and discussions about health and well-being, with sessions to include a podcast by meddwl.org with Tara Bethan and Alun Saunders; yoga and meditation workshops; and a panel discussion on body confidence arranged by HIWTI’s Mari Gwenllïan.

For the younger audience there will be a range of workshops including TikTok, make-up, cooking, and dancing to name but a few, and a chance to take part in a rugby workshop with Cardiff Blues. Pupils from Cardiff’s 17 Welsh medium schools will also come together for a special online performance led by the Welsh of the West End.

The audience are encouraged to enjoy some festive cuisine from home, as food and drink can be ordered straight to your garden by one of the 12 caterers including Ansh, West Pizza and St Cannas. You can order Cwrw Tafwyl from Tomos & Lilford brewery; enjoy a virtual wine tasting session with Vin Van Caerdydd; and there will also be an opportunity to celebrate the culture, food and heritage of Tiger Bay by taking part in the charity Oasis Cardiff’s Supper Club.

As Tafwyl celebrates its fifteenth anniversary this year, the intention is to build on the new experiences brought by last year’s virtual festival, continue to maintain its welcoming and inclusive spirit, and turn the challenge into an opportunity to attract new audiences to experience Welsh language arts and culture.

Some of the festival’s fringe events will kick off on May 8, with one of the main events – Mind Cymru’s charity gig with Eden – taking place on the eve of Tafwyl (14 May).

On Saturday 15 May all the events will be streamed live between 10am and 9pm on AM, then there will be an opportunity to enjoy the festival’s highlights on S4C 8pm, Sunday 13 June.

To see the full festival programme and for more information visit www.tafwyl.cymru and @Tafwyl / #Tafwyl21 

Tafwyl is delighted to be collaborating with Philadelphia Folk Festival, North America’s oldest music festival, which typically attracts 35,000 visitors, and is celebrating its 59th year.

This is another pioneering festival, which is offering a fully digital music experience for the first time this year, taking place from the 13^th-16^th of August 2020.

Al Lewis, an Award winning Welsh language Singer Songwriter’s incredible performance at Tafwyl will be relived as part of the festival, as well as opportunities to enjoy some of Tafwyl’s other highlights.  Al said:

“I’m incredibly excited about sharing my performance from this year’s Tafwyl festival with the attendees of the Philadelphia Folk Festival.  I’m very proud of my Welsh roots and to be able to share our culture and music with people from across the world is one of the main reasons why I love doing this job.  I hope in the coming years’ I’ll be able to go to Philadelphia and perform these songs in person! Thank you to Tafwyl & Arts Council of Wales for enabling this project to happen.”

We are grateful to Wales Arts International for the support in making this possible. Eluned Hâf, Head of Wales Arts International said:

“As one of the International Partners of Philadelphia Folk Festival this year, and as part of our investment in the UNESCO Decade of Indigenous Languages, we are proud to be able to bring Philadephia a Welsh postcard of music in the form of Al Lewis’s outstanding performance at Tafwyl. This is a fantastic opportunity to put Welsh music on an international stage and to capitalize on the ability of digital festivals to transport artists and audiences to all corners of the world – from Cardiff Castle to Pennsylvania.”

Tafwyl Digidol 2020 Evaluation

Today sees the publication of the Tafwyl 2020 Evaluation Report highlighting our audience’s hugely positive response to this year’s digital Festival.

Following the huge success of Tafwyl 2019 (recently recognized at the Cardiff Life Awards as the city’s best event) the concept of Tafwyl was further developed this year, under Covid19’s challenging circumstances, via a virtual broadcast.

On Saturday 20th June, this innovative event took place with an ambitious programme being streamed live from Tafwyl’s most recent home, Cardiff Castle, directly into people’s homes.

The festival was watched by a global audience of more than 8,000 who tuned in to enjoy a digital version of Tafwyl – Cardiff’s annual celebration of Welsh arts and culture – with people watching from the USA, Japan, Netherlands, Spain and France to name but a few.

During a worrying time for the arts, artists, and the event industry alike, the festival provided essential cultural output and industry support at a time when it was most needed.

The established blend of live music, literature, discussions and activities made up the programme:

• 10 artists performing 50 songs;
• 60 speakers across 19 discussion groups and Q&As;
• 16 children’s workshops;
• Over 50 stalls in a virtual market on Facebook;
• Performances by Cardiff & The Vale of Glamorgan’s schools.

40% of the audience watched all afternoon, with a further 46% dipping in and out. 93% felt that the Festival was welcoming and 99% said they’re likely to return next year.

As we look towards 2021, we will build on the vast array of new experiences this year whilst continuing to review our vision to secure a bright future for this ground-breaking festival, which will celebrate its 15th birthday next year!

Planning for the future will require us to learn from our past events and evolve to provide the best possible experience for our audience, and continue to be an inclusive and proud festival celebrating the Welsh language, arts and culture in the heart of Cardiff.

There will be further exciting announcements over the coming months

With Tafwyl being held online this year, you’ll need to create your own festival vibe at home! How about decorating the garden with Tafwyl bunting by artist Efa Lois, or having a go at cooking your own version of Ffwrnes Pizza? If you’ll be able to collect some elderflower today, you’ll be able to make some elderflower champagne just in time for Tafwyl! Share pictures of your homemade Tafwyl with us on #tafwyl20

Tara’s top camping tips:

Elderflower Champagne:

List of ingredients here.

Tafwyl Bunting:

Download the bunting pdf here.

Tafwyl Paper Fortune-teller:

Download the paper fortune-teller pdf here.

Ffwrnes Pizza:

Yup, we know…having a virtual festival just isn’t quite the same as the real thing!

But let’s concentrate on the positives…

You won’t have to queue to get into the castle…

breaking point #Tafwyl pic.twitter.com/l9TVXjs8S2

— sᴀᴍ ʀʜʏs (@sam_rhys) June 22, 2019

https://twitter.com/bolycscymraeg/status/1142450188851658752?s=21

No queues to the bar…

pic.twitter.com/oRtYTPruVz

— Beth? (@Bethddiawl) June 24, 2019

https://twitter.com/alunsaunders/status/881172405686865920?s=21

https://twitter.com/alunsaunders/status/881162851792154624?s=21

You can buy your own beer (or even better…order a delivery from St Cannas to your door!)

pan ti’n gweld pris peint yn Tafwyl pic.twitter.com/ANiGqBLjha

— • elin • (@elinglaves) June 22, 2019

You can order a take away instead of queuing for food…

O'r diwadd, bron â chyrraedd ffrynt ciw Ffwrnes Pizza yn Tafwyl.. pic.twitter.com/0H9ucXxmcE

— Ffion Mair (@MissFfiParr) June 22, 2019

Tafwyl 2020 Poster by Tafwyl’s official illustrator, Efa Lois. Originally from Ceredigion, Efa’s work focuses mainly on positivity, flowers, 70s aesthetics and mythology.

A limited edition of the print is available to buy here, and each print is numbered. The A2 print is printed on 250gsm silk paper.

£5 from the sale of each poster will be donated to Mentrau Iaith Cymru’s ‘Ras123’ campaign, which raises money for the charities of the 7 health boards in Wales.

Or, how about printing a blank version of the poster to enjoy colouring in yourself? Download it here

Share photos of your beautiful creations with us on Twitter/Instagram using #tafwyl20 for a chance to win a signed version of the print.

To be streamed live on 20 June from Cardiff Castle, the lively and uplifting programme of events will be a very welcome distraction from the current situation and will offer the established blend of live music, literature, discussions, and activities for children.

The music will be streamed from the event’s most recent home, Cardiff Castle, making it one of the first UK festivals to stream from the festival venue.

Manon Rees O’Brien, Chief Executive of Menter Caerdydd, the festival organisers, said:

“The bedroom gigs recently seen by other popular festivals have of course been fantastic at filling the cultural gap over the past few weeks, but the team at Menter Caerdydd felt it would be amazing to be able to offer artists and viewers at home a quality production from our iconic venue to celebrate all that’s great about our language and culture. Of course, throughout the planning period, safety has been our top priority, and we have complied fully with the government’s regulations and restrictions. Thanks must go to our key funders and supporters who have enabled us to bring you Tafwyl this year.  We can’t wait to be back at Cardiff Castle, albeit in a strictly controlled environment with minimal crew and no live audience.”

During a worrying time for the arts, artists, and the event industry alike, the festival will provide essential cultural output and industry support at a time when it is most needed.

Antwn Owen-Hicks from The Arts Council of Wales said:

“Tafwyl is now the main Welsh language arts event in Cardiff, that attracts audiences from all over Wales and beyond. We are so pleased that Tafwyl decided to hold a digital festival this year to keep in touch with their audience. It is good to see them being innovative and thinking of a way to continue to offer our artists a platform during these difficult times – digitally for the first time. It is a time of great change to our normal lives and it is heartening to see the creative sector coping and adapting so well. We are delighted to be supporting Tafwyl through our National Lottery grants.”

Clwb Ifor Bach have curated an eclectic mix of 10 artists to perform from Cardiff Castle, including live sets by popular singer-songwriter Al Lewis, art-rock group HMS Morris and electro-pop performer Hana. Acoustic sets will be performed by synthpop songstress Casi, talented folk musician Gareth Bonello and funk-pop artist Alun Gaffey.

As well as the live music, several of Tafwyl’s usual offerings will be provided, including Q&As, literature sessions and children’s workshops. Highlights include a Q&A with FAW, who of course should have been in Rome over the Tafwyl weekend, a circus workshop for children with Nofit State and spoken word with Y Stamp. The traders who were planning on having a market stall as this year’s event will also get involved, by trading in a virtual market on Facebook; and Welsh medium schools from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan will have a dedicated platform to showcase their talents.

Food and drink have always been a huge part of Tafwyl’s appeal and going digital will not change that. Some of the caterers who were due to trade at the event will be delivering food to the audience’s door including The Bearded Taco, Mr Croquewich, Y Bwrdd and West Pizza; and St Cannas will be providing a bar delivery service of Welsh ales and cider.

Huw Stephens, who will be presenting live from the castle, said;

“It’s a strange and different summer for everyone. But Cardiff, music and the Welsh community continue to bring a little sunshine to June. I am delighted to be a part of Tafwyl 2020, with so many interesting events happening on-line, and of course ten artists playing live sets from Cardiff Castle. Log on, check it out, turn it up.”

Menter Caerdydd, a charity who promote and extend the social use of the Welsh language in Cardiff have been funded and supported by the Welsh Government, the Arts Council of Wales, Arts & Business Cymru, Cardiff Council and the Vale of Glamorgan Council to present Tafwyl.

Tafwyl will join forces with Gŵyl Fach y Fro, an annual festival on Barry Island celebrating Welsh arts, culture, and language organised by Menter Iaith Bro Morgannwg, and combine resources in order to appeal to the followers and audience of both festivals.

Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language, Eluned Morgan, said:

“Even though we can’t all be together at Tafwyl this year, it’s very exciting news that we’ll get a little bit of the Tafwyl experience from our homes.  The innovative response in sharing, celebrating and bringing people together from the events and creative industries has been excellent – and has provided hope and entertainment during these difficult times.  Creative Wales has also supported the AM platform and it’s excellent to see the growth in this content sharing platform while supporting and promoting the arts and creative sector.  Of course, many people may not have heard as much Welsh being spoken during this time – and this will be a great opportunity to bring some more of the Welsh language into our homes.” 

Huw Thomas, Leader of Cardiff Council said;

“I’m delighted to have been able to give the keys of Cardiff Castle to Tafwyl for this year’s festival. This is one of my favourite Welsh festivals, combining music, culture and our language in a way that’s effortless, enjoyable and open to all. Of course the pandemic means the festival can’t go ahead with the huge crowds that it has attracted over the past few years, but by opening up the castle for this live broadcast, I hope it will remind everyone of the great times they’ve had there in the past, will give them a real buzz on the day, and whet their appetite for its full return next year.”

The festival will be streamed through AM – an online platform sharing creative work from Wales’ cultural scene. The AM app is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play at www.amam.cymru/ambobdim or available to view on desktop at www.amam.cymru