International Eisteddfod Llangollen

[fossyant]

We are off to see Madness at the 'event'.

 

[Gwylan]

I thought it was all Armenian throat singing.

My grandmother used to vigorously encourage my brother and I to listen to the BBC broadcasts from there.

 

[johnnyb47]

Years ago the Eisteddfod used to be lovely.Our village like many dotted around Llangollen would take in people from all over the world and house them so they could perform in the Eisteddfod.At the end of the event the group would perform in the village for the locals for free, usually outside on a sunny summer evening.Back in the day we didn't get to see many foreign people in our small villages,so it was really nice to see some different cultures and costumes bring worn.It wasn't money driven at all, it was just a local tradition were people would chip in to uphold it..
Like all things though,its now turned into a big money making exercise.Most stay in hotels nowadays and the whole traditional feeling of has completely gone

 

[Chislenko]

Years ago the Eisteddfod used to be lovely.Our village like many dotted around Llangollen would take in people from all over the world and house them so they could perform in the Eisteddfod.At the end of the event the group would perform in the village for the locals for free, usually outside on a sunny summer evening.Back in the day we didn't get to see many foreign people in our small villages,so it was really nice to see some different cultures and costumes bring worn.It wasn't money driven at all, it was just a local tradition were people would chip in to uphold it..
Like all things though,its now turned into a big money making exercise.Most stay in hotels nowadays and the whole traditional feeling of has completely gone

Your post sums up what I was trying to convey in my initial post. I need to practise more English 🙂

 

[Alex321]

Yes, I accept the high priced tickets are to see "stars" but to me the International Eisteddfod was never about "stars" but more about amateur musicians / singers etc from around the world and a chance to see and appreciate different cultures from far flung places.

To me it is going away from it's core values.

Let's face it everybody in the world will probably have heard of Tom Jones and can readily see him (and the other "stars" on YouTube) How many people visiting will have witnessed Cerdd Dant, a more Welsh tradition than "It's Not Unusual"

That to me was the ethos of the gathering, to share lesser known aspects of the people's who were performing.

Yes, I agree with that completely. But you do still have that, without the outrageous cost of seeing the "stars".

And while the big evening concerts with well known stars are certainly outside of what the international Eisteddfod has been about, the profits from those probably do help pay for the parts that are still true to the original ethos.

Just treat the star concerts as unconnected things that happen to be going on in the town at the same time.

 

[JohnHughes307]

My parents used to live in that part of the world and would buy the "season tickets" for the daytime performances and thoroughly enjoy their week. My dad was particularly pleased by a bare-breasted young woman waving at him from an upper window, which given that he was in his seventies and accompanied by my mother, wasn't a likely scenario😁
Even in those days (2005-2010 maybe?) there were special concerts that cost a lot more. They were rarely interested in those, but they made an exception for Placido Domingo (or it might have been Luciano Pavarotti - my memory is not that good)
It doesn't sound to me as if things have changed that much. If they were still around I don't think they'd mind the £44 ticket price, but I don't think they'd pay out for a Tom Jones special - they were never great fans😁

 

[Grant Fondo]

But this year I see there is a "star studded list" of entertainers with tickets prices up to £221.00!!!

That's mad! Concert prices in general have got ridiculously expensive. Talking of Tom Jones, £175 to see him at Glastonbury 2009. oh. and Springsteen, Blur, Neil Young etc etc and now those tickets are more than double for 2024.
G4 (remember them?) at Chester Cathedral tomorrow £64.50

 

[Chislenko]

G4 (remember them?) at Chester Cathedral tomorrow £64.50

Thankfully I will be nowhere near the Cathedral or the over priced Christmas Market tomorrow.
I will just stick to the pubs in Brook Street / Newtown area.

 

[matticus]

I need to practise more English

Don't feel bad - it's not for everyone!

p.s. did you have your say at the meeting?

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will be holding another community meeting on Monday 4 December 2023 at St Collen’s Community Hall at 7pm. The hybrid session will be an opportunity to provide an update on the 2024 concert programme, answer questions about their plans for next summer, and to invite residents to join the growing team of volunteers.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Thankfully I will be nowhere near the Cathedral or the over priced Christmas Market tomorrow.
I will just stick to the pubs in Brook Street / Newtown area.

yeah, stopped going to the market years ago, a bit like that food fair at the racecourse with some tinsel. Bah humbug.