Concert Ticket Sales Up nearly 2,000 from last year

Llangollen International Eisteddfod 2012 has been hailed a success despite all the rain that challenged the week events. Over 2,000 competitors from 23 countries overcame the adverse weather to compete in the years festival. Sell out concerts like Alfie Boe on Thursday evening helped to push ticket sales up by 2,000 compared to last year!

At the end of his first Llangollen International Eisteddfod as Music Director, Eilir Owen Griffiths said, It has been a week full of colorful competitions for competitors that have traveled to Llangollen from all over the World. Applicants for the competitions were higher this year which is also reassuring for a Festival in its 66th year. We were pleased that the number of competitors in 2012 remained on par to 2011. The rain did affect footfall on certain days and we had 800 visitors less in comparison to last year, but to counterbalance that, concert tickets Im happy to say were up by 2,000. The variety Llangollen had to offer certainly pulled in the crowds especially the young audience. We are still counting the cost of the extra last minute provisions which had to be provided underfoot due to the bad weather conditions, however we can safely say that Llangollen International Eisteddfod is back on its feet financially and withstood weather condition unlike other festivals.

Terry Waite CBE officially opened the 2012 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in a spectacular all singing and all dancing concert on Tuesday night. In his speech from the pavilion stage he said, The whole of the World has been suffering from economic difficulties, but thanks to the remarkable resilience of volunteers, supporters and sponsors we have yet another successful Eisteddfod in our hands. The festival plays such an important role in the life of the community and indeed in the life of the whole world. It has been of course, a testing year, but it takes more than an economic recession to defeat the spirit of those who stand behind this Eisteddfod.

Soprano Leslie Garrett hosted an all-star lineup of Britains most charismatic artists on Wednesday night and a sellout Alfie Boe concert on Thursday helped to pushed ticket sales to nearly 2,000 higher than last year.

History was made on Friday night when a record number of performers, a 200 strong choir, took to the stage to perform Karl Jenkins The Peacemaker. In complete contrast on the same night at Llangollen Railway Station this unusual location became a second stage for the night and the audience of around 150 were given a feast of folk music by the likes of The Hennesseys and Irish band Ioscaid.

The competitions came to a close on Saturday night with the Pavarotti Trophy awarded to DelicaTon from Germany, crowned Choir of the World.

The Grand Finale Concert on Sunday night bought Llangollen International Eisteddfod to a star-studded close as Walesfinest artists such as Wynne Evans, John Owen Jones and Cr CF1 entertained the audience.

Exiting new changes have been introduced to Llangollen International Eisteddfod 2013. Music Director, Eilir Owen Griffiths added, We want to ensure that Llangollen Eisteddfod has the best choral competitions in the World therefore the International event has begun the search for 40 choirs to compete in the Choir of the World Competition next year and introduced a new Childrens Choir of the World competition. We want to build on this years success and appeal to on even wider range of potential applicants.