Wales's national eisteddfod, one of Europe's oldest and largest touring cultural festivals, has returned to its historical birthplace near Cardigan in Pembrokeshire to mark its 850th anniversary. This year's event, Eisteddfod y Garreg Las, celebrates the tradition first recorded in 1176 when the medieval Welsh prince Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd hosted a tournament for bards and musicians at his newly rebuilt Cardigan castle, and it now stands as a major showcase of Welsh language and culture that organisers liken to "Glastonbury on wheels".

Running from 1 to 8 August, the festival features more than 1,000 events and activities and is expected to draw around 150,000 visitors, with bands including Super Furry Animals performing. A five-metre puppet of Lord Rhys, created by Cardigan's Theatr Byd Bach, has toured local towns and villages ahead of the opening alongside the traditional crown and chair awarded for the best free-verse poem. Local fundraising committees have raised £400,000 since the site was announced in 2024, and hundreds of volunteers have helped prepare the grounds near the village of Llantwd.