Digital youth festival Eisteddfod T is back – and more innovative than ever!

With Eisteddfod T set to return over the Whitsun half term next week, the Urdd is promising an even more innovative digital festival this year.

Not only have the numbers of competitors doubled since last year from 6,000 to 12,000, but the organisers are also set to launch an app that, for the very first time, will enable users to visit the virtual Urdd Eisteddfod ‘maes’ or field.

"Wandering around the festival site is an integral part of the Eisteddfod experience, so an updated version of the Eisteddfod yr Urdd app will include a virtual map reflecting the buzz of the ‘maes’ with live links to more than 100 fun videos and activities – from the science tent, cookery sessions and Pentre Mistar Urdd, to a disco at the Urdd’s centre in Cardiff and a gig in Glan-llyn, and much more," said an Urdd spokesperson.

"The app will also include a Virtual Exhibition of all the winners from the Art and Design competitions, and virtual reality headgear users will also be able to enjoy a 3D experience of the exhibition. The updated ‘Eisteddfod yr Urdd’ app will be available to download for free from Friday, 28 May (Apple store + Play Store)."

Eisteddfod T will be broadcast from a purpose-built studio at the Urdd Residential Centre in Llangrannog, and although the festival’s competitions have been pre-recorded, a variety of live elements on location, including the main ceremonies, will also feature.

In addition, this year’s Eisteddfod T Opening Concert, an evening with Steffan Rhys Hughes and local Denbighshire talents, will be held virtually. The concert was pre-recorded at Theatr Clwyd, Mold, and will be broadcast online on Sunday, 30 May at 7pm. E-tickets are £15 and all profits from the evening will go towards the 2022 Denbighshire Urdd Eisteddfod.

Siân Eirian, Director of the Urdd Eisteddfod and Arts said: “This year the standard of competitors has once again been exceptional, and the light entertainment material has been such a tonic. Eisteddfod T will be a week of pure entertainment from start to finish.

“We have promised an even more innovative festival across all platforms, and look forward to offering new experiences with the launch of the Eisteddfod T app. The Maes T digital market will also bring the festival to Facebook once again, and will give people the opportunity to shop from the comfort of their sofa and support Welsh companies, crafts and products throughout the week.”

Chief Executive of Ceredigion County Council, Eifion Evans, said: “The residential centre in Llangrannog is an extremely important resource for the Urdd as it is for us in Ceredigion and it is great to see the Urdd use the centre in a creative way to promote entertainment for the children and young people of Wales. We look forward to a week of wonderful competitions and entertainment from the Eisteddfod.”

Eisteddfod T will be broadcast in a series of special programmes on S4C and BBC Radio Cymru2 throughout the usual Eisteddfod week – from Monday, 31 May to Friday, 4 June. Coverage on S4C will begin live from 10am with presenters Heledd Cynwal, Trystan Ellis-Morris and Rhianna Loren, as well as an evening highlights programme.

Between 9 and 11am on Radio Cymru2, Mirain Iwerydd and Ellis Lloyd Jones will kick off the day with their special programme ‘Mirain, Ellis a T’, with all kinds of contributions from young people across Wales. Then, between 2-5pm, Ifan Evans and Ffion Emyr will present the highlights from Eisteddfod T.