Ceredigion celebrates St David’s Day with countywide fringe-style festival
Ceredigion County Council marked St David’s Day 2026 with a vibrant programme of events made possible through Welsh Government funding.
This year, the Welsh Government set aside £1 million to support St David’s Day activities across Wales, and following a successful application, Ceredigion’s Culture Team secured funding. With the support received, the service was able to establish a new program which is innovative, original and celebrates Welsh culture in a traditional and contemporary way.
This year, the celebrations came together in a Gŵyl Ffrinj celebration under the title “Byddwch Lawen” – meaning “Be Joyful”, a message chosen to reflect optimism, community spirit and the joy of celebrating Welsh culture. The visual identity for the programme was created by Rhiannon Roberts, a local artist from Ciliau Aeron, whose artwork became a recognisable symbol throughout the festivities.
Gwledd Gwerin y Gwyliau
Cered, working closely with local schools and the Ceredigion Music Service, brought together young performers for a day of folk music in Cardigan. Pupils enjoyed a hands on workshop at Cardigan Castle during the day, followed by an evening performance at Y Seler. There were excellent performances by Mei Gwynedd and Band Tŷ Potas along with the talented young musicians from Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi, creating a vibrant mix of contemporary and traditional Welsh folk sounds.
Y Ddraig Goch
Throughout February, Small World Theatre worked with young people from the Youth Service across Ceredigion to create a striking dragon puppet that became a central feature of this year’s St David’s Day parades. Alongside the dragon, the local nurturing groups collaborated with a local artist to design a colourful banner. These pieces were developed through creative workshops and went on to brighten events held during the festival and the county’s parades.
Parades took place as follows:
• Cardigan: 27 February,
• Tregaron: 27 February
• Aberystwyth: 28 February
• Lampeter: 28 February
• Aberaeron: 2 March
Tê Cymreig
Porth Gofal led a heart warming project across Ceredigion’s care homes, inviting residents to share their own memories of St David’s Day over a cuppa. The sessions created a relaxed space for conversation, reflection and storytelling. Each residential home enjoyed a different cultural activity, including poetry, music and creative displays, helping residents celebrate Welsh traditions in a way that felt personal and familiar.
Workshops took place across Hafan y Waun, Bryntirion, Min y Môr, Hafan Deg and Yr Hafod, and included:
• A poetry workshop led by Ceri Wyn
• Musical elements delivered in selected homes, including pupil performances
• A balloon display by Halibalŵn
Ladis ar y Lôn by Theatr Felinfach
Adding a surprise element to the celebrations, Ladis ar y Lôn popped up across the county to bring joy and colour to the festivities. The Ladis were inspired in part by the work of Ruth Jên—especially her March 2026 calendar image “Jawl! S’dim hawl rhoi bobol yn y cawl!”. Their spontaneous, flash mob style performances delighted parade goers and celebrated the richness of Welsh heritage through dance, costume, and playful creativity.
Councillor Catrin M.S. Davies, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “This year’s St David’s Day celebrations showed just how creative and proud the people of Ceredigion are, and how willing we are to come together to celebrate our language and culture. It was wonderful to see people of all ages joining in, and witnessing that brings real hope and confidence as we look towards the future of Wales.”
13/03/2026