Friday 29 June – Sunday 1 July
This weekend the inaugural Dinefwr Literature Festival will throw open its doors for three days of literature, music and comedy. The first bilingual festival of its kind, Dinefwr will feature over 100 exciting events and is bringing together leading names from the worlds of literature, music and comedy in a celebration of the written and spoken word.
Performing in English and Welsh, there will also be a host of leading poets, authors and musicians including Andrew Motion, Howard Marks, Gruff Rhys, Joe Dunthorne and Dylan Thomas’ granddaughter Hannah Ellis. The full festival programme has just been released and can be seen here. – (www.dinefwrliteraturefestival.co.uk/line-up)
The festival will open on the afternoon of Friday 29 June with a welcome event featuring National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, who will premiere a celebratory new poem she has written for the occasion. White Cattle of Dinefwr is inspired by the ancient white cattle of Dinefwr Park, whose ancestry dates back to 943 AD and celebrates the park’s heritage.
The setting of the festival at the National Trust’s Dinefwr Park is particularly special, as nearby Dinefwr Castle was the home of Welsh ruler Lord Rhys in the 12th century; Lord Rhys was a champion of court poets and, in 1176, organised a festival of music and poetry in Cardigan which has come to be regarded as the first National Eisteddfod. Dinefwr Castle is owned by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and managed by Cadw.
Moving from the ancient past to the future, fans of Doctor Who are also in for an extra special treat as it has just been confirmed that Doctor Who’s TARDISwill be landing at the festival on Friday. Having travelled through time and space, the TARDIS will be on-site enjoying the festivities throughout the entire weekend. TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space and the machine has been the chosen mode of transport for all of the Eleven Doctors on their intergalactic adventures. The next series is currently being filmed by BBC Cymru Wales and will be on our screens later in the year, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have a photo taken outside the most famous police box in the universe!
The arrival of the TARDIS is very fitting, as one of the most exciting events for children during the festival is Science Fiction of Dr Who, an unofficial hands-on exploration of the science and fiction of time travel and alien biology with author Mark Brake and rapper Jon Chase.
Whatever the weather (we’re almost certain it will be sunny), the first Dinefwr Festival promises to be a fantastic weekend full of family fun and entertainment – whether you’re into history, bird-watching, kicking back and listening to music or time travel!
Tickets
Both weekend and day tickets are available for the festival. Adult Weekend passes are £65, with a discount for National Trust and Literature Wales members. Adult Day Tickets start at £25; children under 5 go free, and weekend and day tickets for children aged 6-16 are £10 and £5 respectively. Camping tickets are an additional £20 per tent for a maximum of four people sharing.