A WARM WELCOME AWAITS ALL FROM THE URDD; THE National Urdd Eisteddfod starts tomorrow night with a Bryn Terfel concert at the Wales Millennium Centre. And around 100,000 visitors from across Wales are expected to converge on Cardiff Bay over the coming week. Here, Steffan Rhys tells you everything you need to know about the event.Byline: Steffan Rhys What is the National Urdd Eisteddfod eisteddfod (īstĕth`vəd, –vôd) [Welsh,=session], Welsh competitive festival. Contests traditionally are held in all the arts and crafts, with special emphasis on music and poetry. ? It is Wales' premier youth festival. It is a celebration of the Welsh language Welsh language, member of the Brythonic group of the Celtic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. See Celtic languages. Welsh language Celtic language of Wales. , culture and the wealth of young talent we have in Wales today. The travelling festival is held in different locations every year and this year it will be held in Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (Welsh: Bae Caerdydd) is the regeneration area created by the Cardiff Barrage which impounded two rivers (Taff and Ely) to form a new 500 acre freshwater lake around the former dockland area south of the city centre of Cardiff in south Wales. . How many youngsters will be taking part? 15,000 competitors are expected. Competitors ages range from five to 25 and they will be vying for the top spot in a wide range of competitions - singing, dancing, recitation rec·i·ta·tion n. 1. a. The act of reciting memorized materials in a public performance. b. The material so presented. 2. a. Oral delivery of prepared lessons by a pupil. b. , instrumental, cookery and a wide range of craft, design and technology. Who will be there? 100,000 visitors are expected in Cardiff Bay over the next week or so. There will be supporters from all over Wales but there's also a very warm welcome to anyone who wishes to attend, whether or not you speak Welsh. How much is it? A daily adult ticket is pounds 10 (concessions pounds 9) and pounds 6 for children. Under 4s are free. A family ticket (for two children and two adults) is pounds 27. On Saturday, May 30, the festival's final day, there is a special offer on tickets. Two adults for the price of one and kids go free with a copy of the Echo. Where is it in Cardiff Bay? The Eisteddfod's hub will be the Wales Millennium Centre The Wales Millennium Centre (Welsh: Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is a centre for the performing arts located on the Cardiff Bay waterfront. Opened in November 2004, it has hosted performances of opera, ballet, dance, comedy and musicals. . There will also be 150 stalls and exhibitions in and around the centre with the Craft, Design and Technology exhibition located within the Senedd building. Roald Dahl Plas will be a hive of activity while the Odeon Cinemas in the Red Dragon Centre will host the preliminary competitions from 7.45am. What are the opening hours? The Eisteddfod opens its doors at 7am and the daily events come to a close around 6pm. The evening concerts kick off at 8pm. Tomorrow's opening concert is a celebration of 10 years of the Bryn Terfel Scholarship with the famous bass baritone himself taking to the stage of the Donald Gordon Theatre. Where can I buy tickets in advance? Tickets are available online at www.urdd.org , by contacting 0845 257 1639 or you can buy tickets at the gate. Evening concert tickets can be purchased by calling the Wales Millennium Centre on 08700 402 000 or log on to www.wmc.org.uk. How can I get there? If you're travelling by car to Cardiff Bay, look out for the park-and-ride sign as you approach the area. The parkand-ride car parks will open between 7am and 7pm. There are also excellent public transport links to the Bay and you can get to the maes (festival site) by bus or train. Go to Traveline Wales' website for further information. Which roads will be closed during the Eisteddfod week? The lower end of Lloyd George Avenue southbound will be closed from the Hemingway Road junction to the Wales Millennium Centre and Bute Place (behind the Wales Millennium Centre from Pierhead Street to Bute Street) will be closed from May 23 to May 31 inclusive. What are the main daily ceremonies? From Monday to Friday, Urdd Gobaith Cymru Urdd Gobaith Cymru, literally, the Welsh League of Hope, but normally translated as the Welsh League of Youth, or merely referred to as the Urdd, is a Welsh-medium youth movement with over 1,500 branches and over 50,000 members (as of 2006). celebrates the talent of one individual in a special ceremony. The ceremony is designed to honour the winner of a particular competition. Monday is the music composers, Tuesday is Welsh language learners, Wednesday is dramatists, Thursday and Friday are for the poets with the Chairing ceremony on Thursday and the Crowning of the bard The Crowning of the Bard is one of the most important events in an eisteddfod. The most famous such ceremony takes place at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, and is always on the Tuesday afternoon of Eisteddfod week. on Friday. The ceremony begins with an adjudication The legal process of resolving a dispute. The formal giving or pronouncing of a judgment or decree in a court proceeding; also the judgment or decision given. The entry of a decree by a court in respect to the parties in a case. , which will be in Welsh with simultaneous translation into English, and when the winner is announced through a nom de plume nom de plume n. pl. noms de plume See pen name. [French : nom, name + de, of + plume, pen. , he or she will be asked to stand up from the audience where they will be sitting. There is always great excitement as everyone tries to glimpse the winner before he or she is paraded to the stage to be honoured. The poets, for example, win a beautifully crafted chair or a crown. What else is on the "maes"? While it's easy to lose track of time when watching the competitors in the Donald Gordon Theatre, it would be a shame not to take advantage of all the other events happening around the Maes. Events not to be missed are: Performance Stages This year there will be two performance areas with live acts appearing all day. There will be singers, dancers, live bands, magicians and school groups entertaining "Eisteddfodwyr" (festival-goers) from 10am-4pm each day. Fflat Mistar Urdd Mistar Urdd is the Urdd's mascot and this year he will be housed in his own flat, designed and furnished by Ikea. There will be live bands and activities happening in and around the flat each day. Sporting activities This year there will be a large water pool in one area of the maes for the first time this year where Eisteddfodwyr can try their hand at canoeing. There will also be a climbing wall and designated area for other sporting activities. Craft Design and Technology exhibition This year the winning entries in the Craft, Design and Technology competition will be exhibited in the celebrated Senedd building. CAPTION(S): Mr Urdd at Cardiff Bay Around 100,000 visitors are expected to make their way to the Urdd site at the Wales Millennium Centre to enjoy performances by 15,000 competitors from all over Wales |
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