Major new bilingual festival celebrates Welsh literature and landscape
Friday 29 June – Sunday 1 July
www.dinefwrliteraturefestival.co.uk
“Here myth merges with history, poetry with story…nowhere better than Dinefwr to celebrate with a festival of words.” Gillian Clarke, National Poet of Wales
Howard Marks, Julian Cope, Sir Andrew Motion, Gruff Rhys and Gillian Clarke are amongst the stellar line-up of guests confirmed to appear at the inaugural Dinefwr Literature Festival in Wales this summer.
This three-day bilingual festival will combine award-winning writers, poet laureates, fringe acts and musicians in a celebration of the written word and the mythical landscape of the National Trust’s Dinefwr Park and Castle. Set in the heart of Carmarthenshire, West Wales, the festival will be the first of its kind promising an eclectic mix of high quality literature, music, comedy and cinema.
With its dedicated camping field, outdoor entertainment, stalls and excellent local food, the festival is set to be a top cultural destination this year, putting fun, family and a love of good literature at its very heart.
Further confirmed festival guests include: the award-winning writer and filmmaker Iain Sinclair; poet and broadcaster Luke Wright; novelist, poet and football devotee, Joe Dunthorne together with writer and professor of linguistics, David Crystal and Irish short-story writer Claire Keegan. Beside this impressive line-up of writers, Dinefwr will host events by the cult Brautigan Book Club which started out as a monthly night at Bethnal Green’s Working Men’s Club, and Caught by the River who will be delivering a programme of talks by writers, musicians and journalists throughout the weekend. There will be events in English and Welsh, with confirmed Welsh language writers including Rhys Iorwerth, John Davies and Dewi Prysor.
The weekend’s music will be curated by SŴN’s John Rostron and BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens who together put on gigs year-round, predominantly in Wales. Along with Gruff Rhys and Julian Cope, Emmy the Great will be performing, along with further names to be announced.
Huw Stephens comments: “Sŵn promotes and celebrates new music coming in and out of Wales. It means ‘Sound’ and is pronounced ‘soon’. We curate stages at other choice UK and international festivals and events too, which is why we’re extremely proud to be curating the musical content for the inaugural Dinefwr Literature Festival.”
Parents can be assured that there will be plenty to keep children of all ages entertained. The first names to be announced include the creator of the million-selling Eddy and the Bear trilogy, Jez Alborough, plus the author and science writer Mark Brake and rap artist John Chase who explore the science and fiction of time travel and alien biology in the Science Fiction of Dr Who. Over the weekend there’ll be creative fun and games with the Hunga Munga collective whose slogan is to ‘Make Stuff, Make Friends, Make a Mess’.
Dinefwr Literature Festival is a collaboration between Literature Wales, the National Trust and the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David (as lead partner in the Coracle programme).
Lleucu Siencyn, Chief Executive of Literature Wales, adds: “Wales has an unbroken tradition of celebrating poetry and song, from the National Eisteddfod to the Hay Festival: we like to shout out loud about literature. This year Dinefwr Literature Festival will bring the ancient surroundings alive through a sparkling blend of comedy, music and the best literature we have on offer. Don’t miss it.”
Gillian Clarke, National Poet of Wales comments: “I’ve always thought Carmarthenshire – Sir Gaerfyrddin – one of the loveliest counties in Wales. Named for Myrddin, Merlin the wizard, (the very thought turns a pen to a wand), and the Roman ‘Caer’, it is rich in famous gardens, historic houses and castles, and one of the greatest of these is the castle and estate of Dinefwr, near Llandeilo. Once seat of the Lord Rhys, here myth merges with history, poetry with story. A herd of legendary White Cattle still grazes the valley, real, yet a haunting symbol of the ancientness of the place. Nowhere better than Dinefwr to celebrate with a festival of words.”
Tickets
Both weekend and day tickets are available for the festival. Adult Weekend passes start at £45 for Earlybird bookings (on sale from 13 March) which includes entrance to all festival events. From Monday 2 April, 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.
For further information contact:
Jane Acton or Katy MacMillan-Scott at Colman Getty
Tel: 020 7631 2666
E: [email protected] / [email protected]
