Bill loves Eisteddfod so much he crossed the world to live in Llangollen

After a Covid-enforced absence, competitors are arriving in the picturesque Dee Valley town in time to celebrate the festival’s 75th anniversary.

The pandemic put a temporary halt to the festival as a physical event and it took on a virtual format last year, with performances streamed online.

The festival culminates with Llanfest on Sunday when the eisteddfod will join forces with the Llangollen Fringe Festival.

Among the army of volunteers helping to put the festival is a wine expert from Hong Kong who fell in love with the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

For years Bill Kong flew 6,000 miles to work as a volunteer at the festival every year. Now he lives in Llangollen having fallen in love with the town.

He was captivated on his first visit as an audience member in 2013 ago when he fulfilled a long-standing ambition to experience it for himself.

Bill said: “I have been mesmerised by the magic of Llangollen. That means the music, the performers as well as the visitors and above all the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers throughout the year who make the Eisteddfod the incredible event that it has become.

“The young and the more seasoned have all played their part in the history of something so unique and special by participating in the legacy of the festival.”

During the four-day event, there will be a host of new attractions and activities on the revamped outdoor site, including music, dance, talks, comedy, food, drink, shopping, workshops and pop-up entertainment.

In the evenings there will be concerts featuring the singing duo of Aled Jones and Russell Watson and Anoushka Shankar, the British-Indian-American sitar player, producer, film composer and activist who is a half-sister to singer Norah Jones.

The competitions climax on Saturday night with Choir of the World and the contest for the Pendine International Voice of the Future featuring the finest young singers from around the world on the stage where Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Elaine Paige, Michael Ball, Sir Bryn Terfel and Luciano Pavarotti have performed.

This year’s Eisteddfod is a shortened version of previous years but will still pack plenty in with a full programme of competitions in the Pavilion and starting on Thursday with Schools Day and the Young Peacemaker Award