The Second Funtastic Pendinas Festival of Archaeology will take place on Saturday, 27 July.

The Pendinas Hillfort Community Project ends this August, and everyone is invited to the second festival to celebrate the fantastic work that has been achieved over the last two years.

The day takes place from 10am-4pm at the Community Hub, Penparcau on the 27 July. Ben Lake MP will formally open the festival at 10.15am, and will also unveil a top secret part of the Pendinas Project over at Ysgol Llwyn yr Eos School.

Iron Age Villagers from Castell Henllys will host Celtic activities like slingshot firing, face painting and bread-making, and the Celtic bard and troubadour Morgan of Mercia will give a musical performance at 11am.

Other activities include clay pot-making, round-house building, dressing up stations and even a mini excavation where you can try your hand at being an archaeologist.

Join Luke Jenkins at 11.30am and Beca Davies at 12.30pm for guided tours of the hillfort, the first in English and the second, bilingual.

Enjoy talks by Toby Driver and Ken Murphy on ‘Reconstructing Pendinas Hillfort – a New View of a Busy Prehistoric Hilltop Town’, and ‘Archaeological Excavations of Hillforts in West Wales’ at 2pm at the Hub.

Wildlife expert Chloe Griffiths will map your memories of this ancient hillfort with the help of Royal Commission mapping expert, Jon Dollery. Stalls representing the Commission, Heneb, the Portable Antiquities Scheme other heritage organisations and responsible metal detecting will be present.

The project’s book ‘Darganfod Pendinas/ Discovering Pendinas Hillfort, Penparcau, Aberystwyth’ will be formally launched by the Royal Commission’s CEO Christopher Catling at 3pm. A free copy will be available to all who attend the festival. The book is also available from the Royal

Commission’s online bookshop as a free download after the event. Visit https://shop.rcahmw.gov.uk/

Sample ‘Celtic Cawl’ and ‘Roman Honey Cake’, and finish the project in style with a celebratory cake, cut at the end of the festival to enjoy with a free cup of tea or coffee.

Bring a picnic and enjoy the day! Free parking is available at Ysgol Llwyn yr Eos School carpark.

The Pendinas Hillfort Community Archaeology Project is a two-year partnership project between the Royal Commission and Heneb and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional support from Cadw.

Over the last two years, the project has undertaken two archaeological excavation staffed by over 100 local volunteers and worked with over 4000 people and community groups through organised events, talks, and guided tours of the hillfort, and has worked closely with 260 local children from the local primary school.

This is a free event open to all, with no need to book.