DOLGELLAU residents gathered together last weekend to celebrate 30 years of Sesiwn Fawr and the return of the event to the town.

From Friday, 15 to Sunday, 17 July, the town was filled with festival-goers. Venues for live music included the rugby club and St Mary’s Church, a brand new addition this year. 

To celebrate the festival’s 30th anniversary, 54 bands performed across nine stages, bringing an eclectic mix of folk, rock and world music to the town.

This year’s line-up included popular Welsh bands Yws Gwynedd, Sŵnami, Tara Bandito, joined by world-renowned Scottish folk band, Skerryvore; N’famady Kouyaté from Guinea North Africa and The Trials of Cato.

Weekend tickets for Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau sold out at record speed but, following the festival’s tradition, the town centre was shut off to traffic on Saturday (16 July) for people to enjoy family-friendly, free entertainment at a variety of stages across the town centre. 

For the first time, a new exclusive concert was held at St Mary’s Church on Sunday night, closing the musical line-up for Sesiwn Fawr 2022.

Speaking before the festival, Sesiwn Fawr’s committee chairperson, Guto Dafydd, said: “After two years of virtual festivals, we are looking forward to welcoming new and old friends back to Dolgellau to enjoy Sesiwn Fawr in person again. It has been a real pleasure to deliver such a strong line up to mark the festival’s 30th-anniversary this year.” 

Organisers were also delighted with this year’s festival. Taking to social media following the event, a spokesperson said: “Diolch am ddod i ddathlu 30 mlynedd hefo ni” (“Thank you for coming to celebrate 30 years with us”).

See more in this week’s Cambrian News, out on Wednesday