SIGNING OFF IN STYLE
Rain fails to dampen spirits at 7th and possibly final Festival No.6:
THE seventh and final Festival No 6 – at least in its current form – was a soggy success at Portmeirion.
The heavy rain arrived as forecast on Saturday, but it couldn’t spoil the atmosphere as thousands roamed the Gwynedd site and its many stages and surprises.
Organisers had announced this year’s event will be the last Festival No 6 as we know it, and all the elements which have made it so special over the years were present and correct.
From Cor Meibion y Brythoniaid filling the piazza for a storming set, to the raves deep in the Portmeirion woods, it was clear to veterans and first-timers alike that the festival lived up to its billing as one like no other.
The Blaenau Ffestiniog-based male voice choir have wowed crowds at the Portmeirion festival since it started in 2012, and this year was no different.
Choir leader John Eifion gave heartfelt thanks to the organisers and audiences who have supported them over seven summers.
At the end of their Saturday night set which comprised hymns, covers of Manic Street Preachers and Rag’n’Bone Man, and a moving version of You’ll Never Walk Alone, the choir brought the curtain down on their No 6 performances with Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, which had many in the crowd singing along.
Elsewhere, Welsh music legends like Geraint Jarman and Meic Stevens shared the bill with acts like Jessie Ware, The Horrors and Django Django, while festival-goers made the most of breaks in Saturday’s rain and the sunshine which finally emerged on Sunday afternoon.
The sun accompanied the Manchester Camerata, who drew a large main stage crowd with a feel-good set of Motown classics backed by full orchestra.
Gwenno delivered a dramatic performance at the Grand Pavilion with her Welsh, Cornish and English lyrics, and The Charlatans and Franz Ferdinand closed the show on Sunday night and bring the curtain down on seven very special summers in North Wales.