Eisteddfod: Can free tickets boost Welsh language use?

Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd will host the 2024 National Eisteddfod

Talks are taking place to find ways of making next year's Eisteddfod more affordable for people on tight budgets.

Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council Andrew Morgan said making the event free would be "challenging" but he wanted to remove financial barriers.

One academic has said free tickets for all or low income families would help drive up Welsh language use.

The Pontypridd Eisteddfod will be the first to be held in the valleys since Ebbw Vale in 2010.

The Welsh government has a target to have one million Welsh speakers by 2050 and since the Rhondda is outside the traditional heartlands of where Welsh is widely spoken, boosting numbers there could make a vital difference.

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Figures from the 2021 census suggest that while the number of Welsh speakers has decreased overall, there were some small increases in parts of south Wales, including a 0.1% change in RCT.

Dr Sion Llewelyn Jones, an academic whose research has focused on comparing Welsh and English medium education in the valleys, agreed the potential was "exciting" but said the eisteddfod "can't just turn up and expect that it will have an impact on the Welsh language".

He added that financial and practical considerations often put off people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

"One of the things about the Eisteddfod is that it is quite expensive to get in - I think it's £23 at the moment," he explained.

"I think for the Eisteddfod to be a success and to have a lasting impact in the area in terms of the Welsh language, ideally it would be great if it was free in Pontypridd.

"If not, allowing families from lower socio-economic background to have free tickets to be able to experience the Welsh language and see it as a living language would be great and would make it a success."

Council leader Andrew Morgan said not speaking Welsh should not be a barrier for people to enjoy the eisteddfod

This year, free entry was offered to low-income families in Gwynedd but in 2018 it was free for all when the event was held in Cardiff Bay.

During Ebbw Vale's event in 2010 free tickets were offered on the Sunday, boosting attendance figures to a record at the time.

Mr Morgan said logistics and cost meant a completely free Eisteddfod could be difficult, but discussions were ongoing.

He added: "We do need to consider how we get families from disadvantaged backgrounds - financial issues should not be a barrier to them coming here."

Next year will be the first time the event has been held in RCT since 1958 and organisers are portraying the 2024 festival as the Eisteddfod's "homecoming", because its first modern version was held in nearby Aberdare in 1861.

Sion Tomos Owen said more work needed to be done to promote the eisteddfod

When we visited Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd on a sunny day, most people were positive about the event coming to the town, but some were not aware it was happening.

Sion Tomos Owen, an artist from Treorchy, said: "I think the Welsh language is still viewed a little bit an other in RCT. It was a hotspot once and then because of mining areas it's a bit less now.

"But there is a big learner community and there are still quite a number of Welsh speaking communities.

"But I think it's fantastic that it's coming here - it's a challenge to put something so big into narrow valleys."

Clare Saunders says the eisteddfod is "a lovely thing to be part of"

Clare Saunders from Llantrisant was in the park with her two children, who both go to a Welsh medium secondary school.

She said: "Something I struggled with when sending my kids to Welsh school was infiltrating that idea of the eisteddfod and how it all works.

"So bringing it and breaking those barriers down between those who speak Welsh and those of us who don't I think it is really important."