Cardiff to host the 2028 National Eisteddfod

Cardiff has been confirmed as the host of the 2028 National Eisteddfod, the biggest celebration of the Welsh language and culture in the national calendar. The festival will run across the Cardiff area from Saturday 5 to Saturday 12 August 2028, and it marks the first time in a decade that the event returns to the capital, having last been held here in 2018.

The announcement came on Saturday 8 August 2026, the final day of the 2026 festival at Y Garreg Las in Llantwd, Pembrokeshire, which had run from 1 to 8 August. One detail worth flagging early is how the 2028 site will be set up: it will be a ticketed event with a traditional layout, fencing and entry fees, much like the 2026 festival in Llantwd. That is a change from the 2018 Eisteddfod in Cardiff Bay, which had an open maes and free entry.

Preparations are already moving. A public meeting was held on Wednesday 9 September at the Chapter Arts Centre on Market Road in Canton, conducted in Welsh with simultaneous translation available. Following that, nominations opened for officers of the local Executive Committee, with roles including Chair, Strategic Vice-chair, Cultural Vice-chair, Chair of the Local Fund and Executive Committee Secretary. Organisers have said they are keen to involve Welsh learners and new volunteers, and are hoping some people from the 2018 Cardiff team will return.

For anyone who has not been before, the National Eisteddfod is Wales' largest cultural festival, held each year in a different location across the country, usually in the first week of August. It draws around 150,000 people and centres on poetry, literature, music, drama and the visual arts, with most of it conducted through the Welsh language. A typical festival takes in competitive performances, concerts, exhibitions, stalls, activities and formal ceremonies. Smaller versions exist elsewhere, such as the International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Denbighshire and the youth-focused Eisteddfod yr Urdd.

Between now and 2028, the festival continues its tour. The 2027 edition will be held in Powys, the first time it has gone there in more than a decade. The 2026 festival in Llantwd carried the name Eisteddfod y Garreg Las, or Eisteddfod of the Bluestone. The tradition itself goes back a long way, with the first recorded Eisteddfod held 850 years ago at Cardigan Castle in 1176.

On the announcement, Eisteddfod Chief Executive Betsan Moses said, "We're really looking forward to starting our work in the Cardiff area and building excitement over the next two years." Cardiff Council leader Cllr Chris Weaver described the festival as "the largest and most important celebration of the Welsh language and Welsh culture in our national calendar", while Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events Cllr Jennifer Burke called it a fantastic opportunity to showcase Cardiff's cultural life and its commitment to supporting the Welsh language.

With the 2027 festival in Powys still to come, Cardiff has a couple of years to get ready for its turn in 2028. The 2018 edition set a high bar, and the shift to a ticketed site this time around will be one of the main differences for anyone who remembers the free Cardiff Bay maes.