Gŵyl Gerdd Dinas Powys Music Festival is a volunteer-led, not-for-profit festival celebrating live music in the heart of Dinas Powys.
Each year, we bring together professional performers, emerging artists and home-grown talent for a varied programme of concerts, workshops and community activities. From choirs, classical music and jazz to brass bands, cabaret and family events, our aim is to offer something for everyone.
The festival usually presents around 15 events at venues throughout Dinas Powys, with a balance of ticketed performances and free community experiences. By making live music welcoming and accessible, we create opportunities for people of all ages to listen, participate and discover something new.
Our programme is designed to reach across the generations, from toddlers and schoolchildren to families and older members of the community.
Each year, we work with local schools and performers to offer a different selection of workshops, bringing new musical and cultural experiences directly into the classroom. Previous activities have included samba and opera workshops, giving pupils the opportunity to encounter unfamiliar styles, meet experienced practitioners and participate in music for themselves.
We also support activities for toddlers and pre-school children, helping to introduce music, rhythm and creativity from an early age. Together with our concerts and free community events, these experiences reflect our belief that music should be open to everyone—whatever their age or background.
The festival was established in 2000 with a simple ambition: to give more people the opportunity to enjoy live music within their own community.
Our first event was held at Dinas Powys Athletic Club on Friday 30 June 2000. It featured Baby Grand, a group of musicians and singers led by journalist, songwriter and broadcaster Chris Stuart. Among its members was Sian Lloyd, who grew up in Dinas Powys—making local talent part of the festival’s story from the very beginning.
Since then, the festival has grown into a much-loved part of village life. Its programmes have welcomed renowned performers alongside local musicians, choirs, schools and community groups, with events taking place in the Parish Hall, local churches, the village square and other venues around Dinas Powys.
In 2025, we proudly celebrated our 25th anniversary with a special programme of performances, local talent showcases and an anniversary dinner. It was an important milestone—and a celebration of everyone who has helped the festival flourish over the years.
Over the years, the festival has welcomed an impressive range of accomplished performers to Dinas Powys.
Notable appearances have included the Cory Band, World Brass Band Champions; West End performer and Phantom of the Opera star John Owen-Jones; winners of the BBC’s Last Choir Standing, Only Men Aloud; and Welsh singer-songwriter and BBC Wales performer Bronwen Lewis.
Alongside these celebrated names, providing a stage for local talent has always been central to the festival. Our programmes have featured musicians, singers, choirs and ensembles from across the community, including Dinas Powys’s own orchestra.
This combination of leading performers and home-grown talent gives audiences the opportunity to enjoy exceptional live music close to home while celebrating the creativity found within our village and the wider Welsh music community.
The festival is planned and delivered by a volunteer committee made up of people from the local community.
Our committee brings together both working and retired members of the community, with a wide range of professional and personal experience. From teachers and engineers to event-industry professionals and people from many other backgrounds, each volunteer contributes their time, knowledge and practical skills in support of this local cause.
This breadth of experience helps us manage every aspect of the festival, from programming and finance to promotion, production and welcoming audiences. What unites everyone involved is a shared belief in the value of live music and its ability to bring a community together.
Our patrons play a vital role in the festival’s future. These local members of the community make a small annual donation that helps us meet the festival’s operating costs, which continue to increase.
This early and dependable support helps us plan with confidence and sustain the festival from year to year. In recognition of their contribution, patrons receive a number of benefits, details of which can be found on the Patrons page of our website.
We are equally grateful to the businesses, organisations and individuals who support the festival through sponsorship. Their financial contributions help us provide free experiences throughout the community—from open-air events on the village green, which everyone is welcome to enjoy, to activities for our youngest residents, including workshops for toddlers and local schoolchildren.
Together, our patrons and sponsors help ensure that cost is not a barrier to participation and that music remains an accessible part of community life in Dinas Powys.
Everything we achieve is made possible by our performers, volunteers, patrons, sponsors, venues and audiences.
Whether you attend a concert, take part in a workshop, perform with us, volunteer your time, become a patron or sponsor an event, you are helping live music thrive in Dinas Powys—and contributing to the next chapter of the festival’s story.
We look forward to welcoming you.
The Gwyl Gerdd Dinas Powys Music Festival is a not for profit organisation with a committee comprising of local members of the community within Dinas Powys. The festival hosts approximately 15 events every year, evenly split between paid and free community events. Read more...
