SENIOR councillors in Newport have backed “brilliant” plans for the city to host the Eisteddfod Yr Urdd in 2027.
The week-long youth festival is a celebration of the Welsh language, in which thousands of young people take part in music, literature and the performing arts competitions.
Described as one of the largest youth festivals in Europe, the Eisteddfod Yr Urdd could also contribute millions of pounds to the Newport economy.
At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday July 17, Newport City Council leader Dimitri Batrouni was full of praise for the bid, telling colleagues “we are a proud Welsh city with proud Welsh traditions”.
Cllr Emma Stowell-Corten, the cabinet member for communications and culture, told the meeting that hosting the Eisteddfod Yr Urdd in 2027 will “give us a chance to put Newport on the world stage again”.
She also noted the wider benefits the event could have for the city, telling the meeting the “boost to the economy should not be underestimated either”.
The 2023 edition, in Carmarthenshire, generated an “economic value” worth £8.5 million for the local area, according to a Newport Council report.
And visitors spent around £7.4m in Carmarthenshire during the event, the report stated.
Newport Council chief executive Beverly Owen told the cabinet meeting hosting the Eisteddfod Yr Urdd would be a “really exciting opportunity… to celebrate Newport, its cultural offering and its cultural diversity”.
Cllr Laura Lacey, the cabinet member for social services, told colleagues during the meeting she was learning Welsh, and said the 2027 event would be an “amazing” chance to “get the whole city involved”.
Cabinet member for communities, Cllr Pat Drewett, agreed, describing the plan as “very positive”.
A key member of the Our Chartist Heritage organisation, Cllr Drewett told the meeting that Newport Rising leader John Frost was a Welsh speaker, and that the language was “very important, not just in the heritage of the city, but today”.
“I think getting Welsh back into Newport… [is] a good move forward,” he added.
The council’s cabinet members agreed to support the city’s bid to host the 2027 Eisteddfod Yr Urdd, and also to help fund the event by contributing £200,000 from the local authority’s reserves.
