Fourfold festival fun
Big events join forces for free online weekend of music and comedy
FOUR of Wales’ best-loved festivals – Festival of Voice, FOCUS Wales, Other Voices Cardigan and Aberystwyth Comedy Festival – have joined forces in lockdown to create Gŵyl 2021; a free, online festival packed with unforgettable music and comedy, embracing diversity and dialogue. Filmed or recorded over recent months in Wales and internationally within Coronavirus guidelines, Gŵyl 2021 will be broadcast online on www.bbc. co.uk/gwyl2021 across the weekend of 6-7 March 2021.
An extraordinary digital gathering for these exceptional times, Gŵyl 2021 shines a light of determination and resilience from the creative scene in Wales. Following almost a year of physical distancing, Gŵyl 2021 marks an emotional moment of unity – of artists and audiences, from Wales and the world. It recognises that our collective voice is a powerful sum of its parts.
In true festival style, Gŵyl 2021 will be a celebration of the established, and a discovery of the eclectic and the emerging, in Wales and further afield. The line-up includes contributions from Cate Le Bon in collaboration with Gruff Rhys, the award-winning Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Tim Burgess’ Listening Party, and Catrin Finch; plus BERWYN (BBC Music Sound of 2021), Carys Eleri (Adelaide Fringe Festival winner), Arlo Parks and Dani Rain, the drumming force behind Neck Deep.
Other highlights confirmed include Charlotte Adigéry, post-punk Welsh Music Prize winners Adwaith, Irish poet and art rock pioneer
Sinead O’Brien and Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Jordan Brookes; Welsh Language Album of the Year winner Ani Glass, Dublin four-piece Sprints, Cardiff-based Guinean griot musician N’Famady Kouyate and sketch group Tarot. Dance company Jukebox Collective have also curated performances from reggae artist Aleighcia, RnB/soul artist Faith and more.
The festival also makes international links as FOCUS Wales hosts artists from across Canada as well as exclusive, interactive performances, and S4C broadcasts exclusive highlights from Other Voices Cardigan.
All rehearsals, filming and recording have taken or will take place within local Coronavirus guidelines.
The full line up and schedule will be confirmed, and the festival itself will be broadcast across the weekend, on www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021 and on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru. Content from the festival will be available to view again for seven days on the BBC platform.