Wrexham welcomes thousands to the National Eisteddfod

Big red letters spelling out the word Eisteddfod, they are at the centre of the image, with white picket fences in front of the letters. A white tent is visible just behind and there is grass in front of the picture, showing the image is taken on a field.

The National Eisteddfod was last held in Wrexham in 2011

Matthew Richards
BBC News

The city of Wrexham will welcome thousands of visitors to the National Eisteddfod, an annual celebration of Welsh language and culture.

More than 150,000 people are expected to attend this week, with 6,000 competitors showcasing the best Welsh language art, music, drama and literature.

It is the first time since 2011 that the eisteddfod has been held in the area.

The festival is taking place in Isycoed until 9 August.

Organisers said Wrexham had a "strong Welsh feel" even though only about 12% of residents speak the language.

When it was announced in 2023, councillor Hugh Jones said it was a "fantastic opportunity to welcome people from far and wide to celebrate our language and culture". Eisteddfod chief executive Betsan Moses said Wrexham was "the place to be".

Llinos Roberts, chair of the executive committee for the 2025 National Eisteddfod, said: "I think more people in Wrexham and the surrounding areas consider themselves to be 'Welsh' compared with other parts of north-east Wales.

"We're trying to get lots of local people to visit the eisteddfod."

Once again thousands of local residents on lower incomes will be able to visit the event free of charge thanks to a grant of £200,000 from the Welsh government.

Llinos Roberts smiling at the camera. She has short brown hair and is wearing hoop earrings. She is standing in Wrexham city centre surrounded by potted shrubbery. She has a cream coat with a blue shirt underneath. It is a head and shoulders shot of her.

Llinos Roberts says Wrexham has a "strong Welsh feel" ahead of the festival

What is the National Eisteddfod?

The National Eisteddfod is an annual festival that celebrates the language and culture of Wales.

The festival has taken place each summer since 1861, with the location alternating between north and south Wales.

It is best known for its competitions - allowing people from across Wales to compete in various cultural contests - with actors, musicians and poets competing on the national stage.

The main site, known as the maes, is the home of many of the eisteddfod's activities.

Large curved eisteddfod sign in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd.

The Eisteddfod took place in Pontypridd in 2024

Wrexham Football Club has gone from strength to strength since the eisteddfod was last in town, returning to the Football League and being promoted to the Championship.

The club even has a full-time Welsh language tutor. Huw Birkhead has been teaching Welsh with a "football twist" to staff, players and fans from around the world for the past two years.

The club has joined forces with the National Centre for Learning Welsh and Coleg Cambria to promote the language.

Huw said: "It's to help staff feel comfortable using the Welsh language around the place and to give the staff the opportunity to grow in confidence to use some Welsh in their work but also in their private lives as well."

Megan Buckley, who works for the club's youth foundation, is looking forward to practising her new Welsh-speaking skills at the eisteddfod.

She said: "There's a bit more buzz around it and all the kids obviously doing stuff around the eisteddfod in schools so we get to hear a lot about it so to be involved this year is going to be really fun."

Megan and Josh are sitting at a desk holding pens as they smile at tutor Huw who is teaching them Welsh words. They are all wearing Wrexham FC tracksuits, which are a dark blue colour with a red trim. A framed Wrexham number 3 shirt is on the wall behind them.

Huw Birkhead teaches Welsh to Wrexham FC staff Megan and Josh

Wrexham may be hosting a major arts and culture festival but it already has its own space dedicated to local craftspeople - Ty Pawb.

The combined market and arts hub has brought together various craft groups to make a large display to mark the eisteddfod.

It was the brainchild of trader Wendy Scott, who said: "There's loads of different groups within Wrexham that are crafting and they're all kind of isolated so we wanted them all to join together to make crocheted or knitted flowers to use up those small amounts of yarn that they might have in their stash and it stops it going into landfill."

Four women sit on a bench beneath a multi-coloured display saying "Croeso" in wool flowers. There are wool flowers and other knitted objects decorated around the wooden seated area. They frame the women. The woman on the far left has white hair and a yellow cardigan over a khaki green two piece, the woman next to her is smiling and has grey hair and a glasses, she is wearing a denim jacket and a blue and white top with blue jeans. Next to her is another woman with curly short grey hair, glasses, and a maroon jacket over a dark blue top. And on the far right is a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, a white strapless vest and dark blue trousers.

Wrexham craft groups created a floral mural from scraps of material

Sue Allen, who was among the contributors and is performing at the festival as part of a choir, said she believed the popularity of the documentary Welcome to Wrexham about the football club and its celebrity co-chairmen Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney could draw even more attention to the festival.

She said: "I'm really glad that Wrexham's got the eisteddfod again.

"I've just come back from America and everybody's heard of Wrexham because of the programme."

But Welcome to Wrexham is not just the name of a TV show, it is the message of the week ahead, in the hope that the eisteddfod will create a growing community of regular visitors.

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