Pontardawe Festival is delighted to announce that Jim Fox has been appointed as the festival's new Artistic Director.

Jim has been a regular at the festival for many years, both as a performer and as an MC. Now he will bring his immense experience to bear backstage as well as on it.

Jim takes over from Ruth Exell Stevenson who announced her retirement at the end of this year's festival after 30 years as a member of the committee, mostof them as AD. Ruth was one of the founder members of the festival back in 1978. She is the last of the 'originals' and will be sorely missed.

It is with muchsadness that we have to announce that Gordon Williams has passed away after a long illness that he bore with great courage and considerable perseverance.

Gordon was our electrical guru in the very early days of the festival. Employed by SWALEC he looked after everything for us purely as a volunteer. It was quite a chastening experience in fact to find that after he retired from SWALEC that there were lots of bits and pieces that we thought we owned but didn’t!

Gordon was made a Vice-President of Festival, and it was an honour of which he was very proud. In fact, at this year’s Festival he was too ill to join us, but Gordon insisted that his son Steve, who used to run the Craft Market, took his armband to him in hospital. He also took the time to send us a much appreciated donation to festival funds.

Gordon was such a thoroughly nice bloke and Pontardawe Festival has lost a great friend. Our thoughts go to his family and those who loved him; their loss is very great.

Our good friends at TRAC have put together a fantastic set of workshops offering budding musos the chance to learn from some of the greatest exponents of traditional Welsh music:

Learn to play Traditional Welsh tunes with Delyth Jenkins, Harpist
Dewch i ddysgu Alawon Traddodiadol Cymreig gyda’r delynores Delyth Jenkins

at The Welfare Ystradgynlais at 7pm on Monday evenings from November 3rd for 4 weeks.
yn Neuadd Les Ystradgynlais am 7 y.h ar Nosweithiau Llun o Dachwedd 3ydd am 4 wythnos

with a Noson Lawen at 7pm Thursday 27th November .
gyda Noson Lawen ar Tachwedd 27ain am 7yh

Bring your instrument along to learn to play Traditional Welsh Songs with Heather Jones
Dewch ag offeryn i ddysgu chwarae Caneuon Traddodiadol Cymraeg gyda Heather Jones

Coelbren Welfare Hall: 7pm Tuesday Nov 4th & Nov 11th and Abercrâf Welfare Hall: 7pm Tuesday Nov 18th & Nov 25th
Neuadd Les Coelbren am 7 y.h ar Nos Fawrth Tachwedd 4ydd a Tachwedd 11eg
Yn Neuadd Les Abercrâf am 7 y.h ar Nos Fawrth Tachwedd 18fed a Tachwedd 25ain
with a Noson Lawen at 7pm Thursday 27th November
gyda Noson Lawen ar Tachwedd 27ain am 7yh

A quick note to everyone to thank you for the nice things you've said over the past few weeks. Here's a small selection:

"Thanks for another great festival and to all the many folk that made it possible! Despite the rain and mud and subsequent reduction in stalls it was great, the music was brilliant!

Just wanted to say thanks for a well-organised weekend...Brilliant music, good quality food and cheap beer! Can't be bad."

A team from the South Wales Probation Trust has been brought in to help with the organisation of this year's festival.

The young offenders are working hard to help put the site together for this weekend, and will be doing valuable work over the weekend, helping us to keep the site clean and tidy.

Gwyl Pontardawe Festival is delighted to announce that it has received significant financial sponsorship from one of Wales’ premier environmental companies for this year’s event.

Less than a week to go, and the who, the where and the when are changing!
Performers are listed in order of appearance. Timings are approximate. Read on...

Pontardawe has won backing for a wide-ranging new programme that could provide you with a qualification linked to one of several festival-related activities.

Cardiff-based Arts & Business Cymru, in association with our mainstage sponsor Fujitsu UK, are helping to fund a series of educational courses that will provide skills that could lead to jobs in the entertainment and other industries.

Details of the subjects and courses available are listed below. So if you are interested, please contact us via the Feedback section of this website or via the Festival Office on 01792 830200.

Oh, and by the way, it's all completely free!

This year's festival promises to be greener than ever, thanks to help from the local probation service.

Teams of youngsters have signed up to keep the festival grounds tidy and free from litter throughout the weekend.

We have increased the amount of recycled waste at festival from under 25% five years ago to almost 80% last year, and this year are looking forward to doing even better.

We are delighted to announce that Pontardawe festival has been officially named the first Fair Trade music festival in Wales.

It’s the latest step in a five-year plan to make Pontardawe a completely sustainable event.

It means that we shall be using Fair Trade products wherever we can, and we are encouraging our traders and suppliers to do the same.

Two important Fair Trade organisations have already signed up and will be offering Fir Trade produce in this bear's craft market.

Porthcawl-based Sustainable Wales are bringing their Sussed fair trade range of clothing, jewellery, bags, glassware, recycled stationery, soaps, scarves, toys and unusual gifts.
And , from Abergavenny, Love Zimbabwe return with their unique selection of products from Africa.