The Greatest Rugby Party Ever!
Bryn Terfel, one of the World's greatest singing stars, is to sing at 'The Greatest Rugby Party Ever'. The event, a massive all-day party to be held in Cardiff’s International Arena on 21st March, coincides with the Wales-Ireland rugby game in the Millennium Stadium, the last of this year’s Six Nations tournament.
CeltFest 09 will be a gigantic light and sound spectacular in the heart of Wales's capital with vast screens relaying the match live, a huge illuminated circular bar selling award-winning beer from the famed Felinfoel Brewery, and twelve hours of live entertainment with megastar Bryn Terfel leading an all-star line-up to include Cerys Matthews, The Wolfe Tones and Dafydd Iwan.
IT’S going to be the biggest bash Wales has ever seen and one of the country’s biggest stars will lead the celebrations.
Ex-Catatonia singer Cerys Matthews will be joined by Bryn Terfel and Irish music legends The Wolfe Tones for the first CeltFest, to be held next weekend.
Billed as the greatest rugby party ever, the stars will be taking over Cardiff’s International Arena for a day-long celebration of sport and song.
When: Saturday 21st March 2009 - Midday – Midnight
Where: Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street, Cardiff, CF10 2EQ
Celtfest 09 is a day-long festival that is scheduled to take place in the Cardiff CIA on the same day that Wales play Ireland in the final match of the Six Nations rugby championship. Celtfest 09 will feature the very best entertainment from both nations.
- Largest pre & post-match party in Wales!
- Giant Screens showing Wales v Ireland game from the Millennium Stadium
- Largest Bar Facilities in Cardiff: world-class Welsh ales from champion brewers Felinfoel.
- All Day Speciality Foods
- Celebrity hosts and comperes from the world of sport and television
Celtfest 09 Line-up Includes:
- Cerys Matthews - Former lead singer of Catatonia
- The Wolfe Tones - The Legendary Irish Balladeers will be celebrating their 45th Anniversary
- Dafydd Iwan & Band - Legendary Welsh folk singer
- Rhys Meirion - One of Wales's most gifted tenors
- Ar Log - One of Wales's most endurable and loved folk acts
- Calan - A dynamic group of talented young Welsh musicians
- Nigel Owens - International Rugby Referee
Need somewhere to stay? The three closest hotels to the Cardiff CIA are:
Despite Cerys’s love of Irish music, there won’t be any divided loyalties on the day. She’ll be rooting for the Welsh all the way.
“I love Irish songs, the way they have of telling a story, of bringing history alive,” said the 39-year-old singer. “It’s amazing how a song that’s 200 years old can have such an impact on you all that time later.”
Her love affair with Irish tunes began when she was very young.
“I’ve been collecting them since I was nine but I absolutely love roots music full stop. Country and folk music has been behind everything that I have done, which is one of the reasons I moved to Nashville,” she said, referring to her four-year stay in the capital of country music.
She briefly returned to Wales with her two children. Now based in London, she says she is looking forward to getting back to Cardiff.
“I love the CIA”, she said. “I think it’s going to be a great day I can’t wait to get back to Cardiff.
“I’ve got a lot of friends coming to see me and that’s very exciting.”
And she let Wales on Sunday have an exclusive peek at her set-list.
“It’s going to be fantastic. I’m going to be doing Irish folk songs, Welsh folk songs, some songs from my solo albums, songs from my Catatonia days,” she said.
“It’s going to be like a look back through the last 20 years for me.”
She has also spent the past few months recording her new album – Blue Betty: The Not So Torrid Affairs Of A Reluctant Housekeeper – and says it deals with the stresses of life as a mother.
But the former hellraiser says that she is content with her new life and musical direction.
“I’m happy. I’ve got a new band and it’s coming together really well and I’m enjoying playing with them,” she said
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