Festival Of Voice

Introducing Gŵyl 2021

A digital weekend festival on BBC

Gŵyl 2021 is a digital festival taking place from 6 - 7 March 2021. Expect two days packed with unforgettable music, comedy and conversation – filmed in locations across Wales and broadcast online by BBC Wales at www.bbc.co.uk/gwyl2021.

We had big plans for Festival of Voice 2020. A new format. A winter date. A line-up co-curated by Cate le Bon.

It promised to be an incredible long weekend of live music, performance, debate and discussion. We dreamed of a packed Wales Millennium Centre buzzing with art and ideas, but the pandemic put this vision on hold.

For an event that prides itself on bringing people together, it was quite a blow. And yet our desire to connect people through culture didn’t go away. That’s why, in isolation, we hooked up with three of Wales’ finest festivals to create a one-off digital weekender: Gŵyl 2021.

Together with FOCUS Wales, Other Voices Cardigan and Aberystwyth Comedy Festival, we’ve assembled some of today’s most urgent and exciting voices, from inside Wales and beyond.

The result is a digital experience like no other: a heady mix of cutting-edge comedy, thought-provoking talks, energetic showcases and jaw-dropping headline sets.

Highlights from Gŵyl 2021 include ‘Death Song Book’, a unique collaboration between Brett Anderson, Nadine Shah and Charles Hazlewood’s Paraorchestra; a breathtaking performance by fast-rising singer-songwriter Arlo Parks; and a Gruff Rhys-directed film of Cate le Bon performing ‘Reward’ in our Donald Gordon Theatre.

Festival of Voice 2020 cancelled

New dates announced

Sadly, Festival of Voice will not be taking place this year. It has been a difficult decision but one that we had to take, due to the uncertainty around hosting music events during the Coronavirus pandemic.

But it's not all bad news. We had some amazing artists lined up and 2021 promises to be even better. The festival will now take place from 4 – 7 November 2021 and we're delighted to announce that Cate Le Bon is confirmed as our guest curator. Keep an eye on our social channels for more artist updates and news.