Visitors grow but cash falls at new-look Eisteddfod
The National Eisteddfod in Cardiff recorded a deficit of more than £290,000 but attracted more visitors than ever before, with many attending for the first time.
This year’s open, fence-free Maes made it impossible to charge admission fees and Eisteddfod organisers faced safety and security costs.
But at the Eisteddfod Council, meeting in Aberystwyth, officials also revealed the week-long festival was attended by more than half a million people.
The deficit may impact Eisteddfod enthusiasts keen to stage a similar festival in Caernarfon in 2021.
Chief executive Betsan Moses said the festival had to invest greatly in safety officers and other elements to ensure the safety of everyone in the Eisteddfod area, adding: “This was an additional cost for the organisation, which led to a deficit of £290,139 this year, which has been covered by the Eisteddfod itself.”
The deficit reverses a trend which has seen the National Eisteddfod record a surplus of income over expenditure for the past six years.
Ms Moses added: “It was our vision and decision to hold an open, fence-free and inclusive festival. By offering free entry to most of the Maes, this year was a strategic investment in the Welsh language, which attracted regular and unfamiliar supporters.
“According to some estimates, up to half a million people came to the Maes during the week, which is an increase of 350,000 on numbers usually expected at the festival.
“So, for an additional cost of less than £1 to the Eisteddfod for every new visitor, we managed to attract hundreds of thousands of people to experience a festival which is a modern and eclectic celebration of our language and culture.”
Cardiff executive committee chairman Ashok Ahir said much has been said and written about the “different and experimental” Eisteddfod in Cardiff.
“But this year’s festival was groundbreaking in so many different ways,” he said.
“By having an ‘open’ Maes, the festival was welcoming and inclusive – it belonged to everyone from Cardiff and Wales, and this was clearly on show during the week.
“Put simply, this is how you show everyone that Welsh is a dynamic, natural and relevant language. And this will be the Cardiff Eisteddfod’s greatest legacy. We are very grateful to everyone who was part of the team over the past two years.”
Next year’s Eisteddfod will be staged in Conwy and will return to Gwynedd in 2021. Eisteddfod enthusiasts in Caernarfon have already revealed they are keen to stage the festival in the town centre rather than on a traditional Maes.
Conwy Eisteddfod committee chair Trystan Lewis revealed local fundraisers have banked nearly £250,000 of their target of £320,000.