Gŵyl Cymru Festival at Hay Festival

In 2022, when the Cymru men’s team reached the World Cup for the first time in generations, the immediate instinct of the delirious players was to drag folk singer Dafydd Iwan onto the pitch for an impromptu rendition of Yma o Hyd. It was an act that speaks volumes for the nation’s links between football and culture, two pillars of Welsh life indelibly entwined. Gŵyl Cymru Festival was launched soon after – a collaboration between the Football Association of Wales and Arts Council of Wales – comprising a series of arts and football events across the nation and beyond that continues into 2024. This event is a celebration of the special relationship between sport and culture, and how Cymru’s supporters – the famous Red Wall – have embraced creativity. We’ll be joined by special guests from the worlds of football and the arts.