Urdd Eisteddfod: Festival has gone virtual this year!

The annual event is usually held outdoors, but not in 2020

The National Urdd Eisteddfod is a Welsh youth festival of literature, music and performing arts.

It attracts a huge 90,000 fans every year and it's an opportunity for children and young people to compete in lots of different competitions including singing, dance and performance.

This year's festival was due to take place this week in the Vale of Clwyd in north Wales.

The physical event had to be cancelled because of the coronavirus, but the organisers decided to take advantage of the power of technology and have managed to successfully pull off the very first digital Eisteddfod!

Video entries involving more than 4,000 children were uploaded ahead of the competition.

The event has seen the introduction of brand new competitions this year, including lip synching and impressions, and it's not just the young taking part. The older generation have also been encouraged to get involved, as well as whole families.

More than 4000 people submitted video entries for more than 80 different competitions.

The event, which comes to an end on the 29 May, has been broadcast on TV, radio and online throughout the week.

"The response has been incredible," said Sian Eirian, the event's director. "We thought it was important to include the usual competitions, choirs, cerdd dant, songs from a musical and so on, but also to have a little fun and an opportunity for those older than our usual membership - mums and dads, grandparents, friends and teachers - to join in the competing."