The National Eisteddfod, Wrexham, Wales

The Eisteddfod is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. The first Eisteddfod can be traced back to 1176. The most important eisteddfod is the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the largest festival of competitive music and poetry in Europe. Its eight days of competitions and performances, entirely in the Welsh language, are staged annually in the first week of August, usually alternating between north and south Wales. In 2011 it took place in Wrexham, North Wales with around 6000 competitors and some 150,000 visitors.