Free family fun at the Cardiff Bay Eisteddfod 2018

Cardiff

Those of you living in Cardiff have probably seen variations of this photo on your social media a hundred times already!

The Eisteddfod – the annual celebration of Welsh language and culture – is on at Cardiff Bay, running from 3-11 August.

It’s absolutely brilliant, with so much to do for families. I was there yesterday with my children for five hours and, other than the cost of three ice creams, didn’t spend a penny!

They had a go at archery and circus skills, learnt about engineering by making constructions out of Lego and straws, saw the Welsh children’s TV stars of Cyw singing live on stage, watched some Welsh language bands, got given loads of stickers and pencils, played on a dragon made entirely from recycled materials, plus loads more besides… and we barely saw half of what was there. There are arts and crafts activities, story time sessions, science-themed activities plus live music and other entertainment.

There are plenty of street food and craft stalls, and organisations from across Wales raising awareness of the work they do and offering free, related activities.

My children are in Welsh medium education, so it was wonderful for them to absorb so much Welsh language culture and to hear so much Welsh being spoken. But even if you don’t speak Welsh, it doesn’t matter, as the Eisteddfod is open to all. We heard plenty of English as we walked around too, not to mention other languages too.

It’s such a fantastic decision to make entry free – you have to pay to see the performance competitions and some of the bigger shows in Wales Millennium Centre, but you can walk around and take part in so many activities at no cost.

It’s on until Saturday and we highly recommend it.

Have you been to the Cardiff Bay Eisteddfod 2018? Do let me know your favourite parts in the comments below, on the Cardiff Mummy Says Facebook page or you can tweet me on @cardiffmummy

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