Gwyl Pontardawe Festival Ltd is a not for profit company that is run by volunteers from this community and beyond. The festival is organised and run by volunteers, and as such relies heavily on volunteers to come and spend some time helping making it all run smoothly during the event itself.

If you want to make a contribution, large or small to help make this festival a successful one, then we would be glad to hear from you.

If you want to be part of organising then head over to the Ivy Bush, Pontardawe for the next meeting… time/date details below.

If you want to be part of the get-in / get-out, or just be a steward on the weekend, then that would be just fine also! We would be proud to have you as a part of our team.

The usual rules apply… you spare us some of your time, and we give you a weekend ticket and camping.

Download and complete the 2010 Volunteer Application Form and pop it in the post to us at the address on the bottom of the form with two passport size photos.

Thank you, Paul and the Team.

Are you ready for not just one weekend of summer celebrations but a whole week of summer fun, music, craft, dance, circus and parades Pontardawe?

GWYL PONTARDAWE FESTIVAL

Friday 13th of August - Sunday the 22 August, 2010

Yes, that is right festival fans… this year the celebrations start early… very early… Preparations start at the end of June for a MONTH OF CIRCUS… leading up to the start of the week long Pontardawe Festival - SummerFest. The Pontardawe Arts Centre and The Pontardawe Chamber of Trade for Commerce have teamed up to start the celebrations with the SummerFest hosted in the village with Nofitstate Circus performance Parklife on Pontardawe’s Recreation Ground.

A feast of fun and entertainment awaits you from 4pm on Friday the 13th of August on Herbert St Pontardawe with trade fairs, live entertainment and a torchlit procession to the Rec.

Saturday the 14th from 10am again there will be more entertainment and trade fair on Herbert St with Expresion Cubana providing entertainment from 7:30pm

Sunday 15th August sees dance workshops through the day finishing with Behia Blanca tango band at 7:30pm

(Workshops begin on Monday the 9th of August, we will post more information when we have it… but keep an eye on www.pontardaweartscentre.com for more information when it becomes available)

Let’s hope that this will provide you with a taster of what is to come, the following weekend, when the Pontardawe Festival kicks off for real on Parc Ynysderw.

The summer celebrations will kick start on Park Ynysderw on Friday the 20th of August, as usual, there will be the Craft Market that you all love, Dance, Music, Camping, The Procession, A much better International Food Village this year (I promise), and of course… REAL Music… live on stage to keep you on your feet and dancing all weekend!!

In light of the success of the WinterFest and SummerFest in the centre of the village of Pontardawe, the Pontardawe Chamber for Trade and Commerce in Partnership with the Pontardawe Arts Centre are organising a SpringFest to celebrate the Celtic Festival of Beltaine (meaning Sacred Light), which is the origin of the May Day holiday and celebrations.

Join them on Friday the 30th of April from 4pm until 10pm outside the Pontardawe Arts Centre for entertainment, food, crafft and at dusk, a fire show and Beltaine reenactment by Kaos.

On Saturday, the fun continues from 10am - 4pm with entertainment, food and craft and May Pole celebrations outside the Pontardawe Arts Centre!

I am sure more details will be published soon on www.pontardawe.org and www.pontardaweartscentre.com

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING
7.30pm, TUESDAY 12th January 2010
THE IVY BUSH HOTEL, PONTARDAWE

Come and help with organising the 2010 Festival
All volunteers welcome
Help make this event a success.

A date for your diaries… Festival favourite - the very loud and the very energetic - Bellowhead make a welcome return to the Pontardawe Arts Centre on the 28th of January. Tickets and booking available at:

http://www.npt.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=2487&event_id=5354

You can view the S4C programme from this year’s festival again on S4C’s CLIC Player on their website (even with Subtitles!)

http://www.s4c.co.uk/clic/c_level2.shtml?programme_id=353500824

Pontardawe businesses have stepped in to help this year’s Pontardawe Festival during the final stages of the get-in.

Rhos Meadow have kindly provided a loan of a Transit van for a week to aid the volunteer site electricians shift the heavy 3-phase cabling and to keep kit secure for the duration of the event. Thank you Colin and Sue! http://www.rhosmeadow.co.uk/

Our friends at Groundhog UK have kindly donated two of their portable cabins which we have filled with international artists as they are being used for the artists’ reception. http://www.groundhog.co.uk/

Bailey’s Newsagents have very kindly paid for the colourful bunting to be put up in Pontardawe to celebrate this year’s festival. It has really brightened up the village and created that carnival atmosphere that we all love. Thank you Tony and family!

Lastly but not least, Councillor Mike James and Pontardawe Car Sales stepped in today when problems arose on-site with regards the stage in the main tent. Without batting an eyelid Mike dug straight into his pocket to pay for a replacement stage to be erected, which was done right away by STS Group Scaffolding, bringing the preperations for tomorrow’s opening concert right back on track. Thank you Mike! www.pontardawecarsales.co.uk

The world’s leading astrologer, Jonathan Cainer, will be speaking at the festival this weekend.  He’ll be giving a talk on Saturday morning and he (and we) would love you to join him.

And his prediction for the weekend ahead?  “This week brings us into the Dark of The Moon. It takes us through three days, from Wednesday to Friday, during which no moon can be seen in the sky and, thus, if you’re out in the unlit countryside at least, you can see distant stars more clearly. And, according to tradition, at such times, it’s not just the sky that reveals its deeper secrets. People are more meditative, more honest and more willing to welcome magic into their lives. And those with psychic gifts become more prone to colourful visions and accurate insights. Might you have a special sixth sense? Try listening to your inner voice this week and see what it tells you!” (c) Jonathan Cainer 

Admission is free to £5 field entry ticket holders.

Where better to see distant stars and welcome magic into your life than in the festival fields?

THE LAST REPUBLIC have been voted winners of the ROAD TO V contest to find the brightest new acts of 2009.

The Swansea Valley band are playing PONTARDAWE the night before they travel to claim their prize and open up one of the biggest gigs of the year.

Can’t make it to Staffordshire (it’s a sell-out after all!)?  Then catch them at Ponty…Thursday August 20th.  It’ll be a celebration to remember.