Welsh Language Music Day ( cy, Dydd Miwsig Cymru) is a

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

founded by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens. Events take place on the day at its base in Cardiff, as well as previously in London, Swansea, and even as far as Brooklyn and Budapest.

Etymology

Despite the Welsh language having words for 'music' ('Cerddoriaeth', 'Cerdd' or 'Alaw'), the colloquial term 'Miwsic', borrowed from the English word 'Music', was used instead to promote the event.

Background

The festival takes place annually in Stephens' hometown of Cardiff, Wales, as well as hosting events in other UK cities including London, Caernarfon, and

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

. The first Welsh Language Music Day took place in February 2013. Artists who have been highlighted include Mellt, Gwenno Saunders, The Gentle Good, Chroma, Adwaith, Candelas, Meic Stevens, Los Blancos, and Alffa. Organisations across Wales are involved in the yearly event, including

Sŵn Sŵn Festival (''sŵn'' is Welsh for "sound, noise", ) is a music festival founded by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and Cardiff-based promoter John Rostron. The festival takes place annually in Stephens' hometown of Cardiff, Wales. The first S� ...

, BBC Horizons, Forté Project, Clwb Ifor Bach and Big Fish Little Fish.

Venues

Events have been held across the UK, including venues in Cardiff as well as: * Kings Place, London * Clwb Ifor Bach,

Womanby Street Womanby Street is one of the oldest streets in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Tracing its name back to origins within the Norse language, its original purpose was to link Cardiff Castle to its quay. In this way it became a trade hub and settling ...

, Cardiff * Castle Emporium,

, Cardiff * St John's Church, Canton, Cardiff * Blackwood Miners Welfare Institute,

Blackwood Blackwood may refer to: Botany * African blackwood ('' Dalbergia melanoxylon''), a timber tree of Africa * African blackwood (''Erythrophleum africanum''), ('' Peltophorum africanum'') also Rhodesian blackwood, trees from Africa * Australian bla ...

* Whitehall,

Pwllheli Pwllheli () is a market town and community of the Llŷn Peninsula ( cy, Penrhyn Llŷn) in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It had a population of 4,076 in 2011 of whom a large proportion, 81%, are Welsh language, Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the pl ...

* Tafarn yFic,

* Y Galeri, Caernarfon * Clwb Canol Dre, Caernarfon *

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

* Venue Cymru,

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...

Independent events have also been organised by Menter Iaith in the following: * Conwy * Maldwyn * Fflint * Wrexham * Sir Dinbych * Ceredigion

Acts

During each years' events, organisers research the streaming popularity of Welsh language music acts globally. The 2018 event found the most popular Welsh artists on Spotify were: # The Joy Formidable # Super Furry Animals # Cate Le Bon # Catatonia # Iwan Rheon # Gwenno Saunders Womanby_Street_Cardiff

# Yws Gwynedd #

Bryn Fon Bryn is a Welsh word meaning hill. It may also refer to: Places United Kingdom See also UK location England * Bryn, Greater Manchester ** Bryn (ward), an electoral ward in Wigan ** Bryn railway station * Cornwall Wales * Bryn, an electoral ...

# Al Lewis #

Sŵnami Sŵnami () are a Welsh indie rock group from Dolgellau, north-west Wales, who sing predominantly in Welsh. They won the Welsh Language Album of the Year prize at the 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales. Their name is a play on the word 'tsunami' ...

The survey also found the following artists were most popular on

Shazam Shazam () may refer to: Comic book franchise * Captain Marvel (DC Comics), also known as Shazam, a superhero character published by Fawcett Comics and DC Comics ** Shazam (wizard), a character from the ''Shazam!/Captain Marvel'' comics, who give ...

: # Catatonia # Super Furry Animals # Gwenno Saunders # Casi # The Castle Emporium

Yws Gwynedd #

# Meic Stevens #

Dafydd Iwan Dafydd Iwan Jones (born 24 August 1943) is a Welsh singer and nationalist politician who rose to fame writing and performing folk music in the Welsh language. From 2003 to 2010, Iwan was the president of Plaid Cymru, a political party which ad ...

# Omaloma # Elin Fflur

References

External links

* (English) * (Welsh) Welsh Language Music Day Welsh Language Music Day Welsh Language Music Day Welsh Language Music Day Welsh Language Music Day Recurring events established in 2013 Winter events in Wales {{music-festival-stub