Eisteddfod council supports Cardiff Bay festival plans

The National Eisteddfod is one step nearer to being held in Cardiff Bay in two years time, with the traditional Maes (main field) being scrapped.

The Eisteddfod council backed recommendations to hold the festival on the streets and in venues of the bay in 2018.

Buildings such as the Wales Millennium Centre are among sites that would be used.

The move has been described as a one year experiment.

As part of the plans, discussed at a meeting in Aberystwyth on Saturday, there would be no admittance fee to attend the main field, only charges for concerts and events.

There would also be no perimeter fence - something which organisers hope would attract more visitors, including those who would not ordinarily attend.

If it is held in Cardiff Bay, the event would be held across different locations and venues, including the Wales Millennium Centre

Eisteddfod officials will now discuss detailed plans with Cardiff council and other key partners, including the Wales Millennium Centre, over the coming months and a public meeting will be held in the city in the summer.

A traditional Maes on playing fields in Pontcanna in Cardiff had also been under consideration as a site for the 2018 event. It was the location of the Eisteddfod's last visit to the capital city in 2008.

The Eisteddfod, which travels to a different location in Wales every summer, has already scrapped the traditional pink pavilion.