On Saturday 15 May the 15th Tafwyl was held; as an audience of 500 people enjoyed the festival at Cardiff Castle.
The popular Welsh language arts & culture festival was chosen as one of the Welsh Government’s Covid test event series, welcoming parties of between 4 and 6 people to enjoy live music and street food.
As well as the live audience, the festival was watched by a global audience on AM’s digital platform; with people tuning in from Argentina, Italy, Germany and Canada to name but a few – and viewing figures exceeding last year’s numbers.
17 artists performed across 2 stages, curated by Clwb Ifor Bach – with Ani Glass, Gwilym and Geraint Jarman enjoying the thrill of performing to a live audience at a music festival in Wales for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
“It was a pure pleasure to share this amazing experience with the audience here. It’s days like this that remind me of the power music has to bring people together. Diolch Tafwyl for the opportunity!” – Ani Glass, the first artist to perform live to the audience at Tafwyl 2021.
Other highlights included the launch of the first LGBTQ+ podcast in Welsh, ‘Esgusodwch fi?’, a panel talk on body confidence organised by Mari Gwenllïan HIWTI; and a panel discussion about identity and Welshness led by Seren Jones.
Manon Rees-O’Brien, Chief Executive of Menter Caerdydd said:
“After an extremely challenging time for all it was wonderful to see people enjoying a bit of normality again, and celebrating the glimmer of hope for the events industry and the arts. Thanks go to the Welsh Government for choosing our festival as one of their pilot events. All of this would not have been possible without our amazing funders, sponsors, partners and contributors – so a big thank you to them and everyone who has joined us. We’re looking forward to welcoming a larger audience to Cardiff Castle in 2022!”
Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said:
“I am looking forward to the safe return of a packed schedule of events in the city in the not too distant future, welcoming visitors to our great city, and feeling that sense of vibrancy and excitement once again on the streets of Cardiff.”
All of the performances are available on demand via AM’s digital platform, and there will be an opportunity to enjoy the highlights on S4C 9pm Thursday 27 May.