The National Eisteddfod, the biggest cultural event in Wales, has been postponed for another successive year due to COVID-19.
The original date of the Ceredigion was originally meant to take place in summer 2020, before being postponed initially for one year due to the global pandemic. Current lockdown restrictions mean that the event has now been delayed again, until August 2022.
AmGen, an online version of the Eisteddfod, will take place again this year following the success of its 2020 run.
The Eisteddfod’s Chief Executive Betsan Moses said in a statement “as a team, we’re more disappointed than anyone about it, and having to announce this for the second time has been incredibly difficult. Announcing this today is heart-breaking for everyone involved in the Eisteddfod.”
This postponement has had a knock-on effect on subsequent festivals. The Llŷn and Eifionydd festival in Gwynedd will now take place in August 2023, and Rhondda Cynon Taf will host in 2024.
The move has been backed by councillors as necessary due to public health concerns over large gatherings. The festival ordinarily attracts up to 150,000 visitors per year.
Ceredigion council leader Ellen ap Gwynn said “everyone’s health and safety is the main priority. Organising or preparing to compete and attend the Eisteddfod is a big task.
“With all the planning that needs to be done, it is not practically possible to carry them out this year.”
Words by Emily Withers.
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