From Friday 1–Sunday 3 April, Machynlleth will host the Amdani, Fachynlleth! Literature & Travel Festival.

The bilingual festival will once again host artists, poets, travel writers and musicians across the weekend for a series of events on stage at the Wynnstay Hotel and the Senedd-dy, Glyndŵr Centre.

Legendary Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan will perform, a portrait by Dan Llywelyn Hall will be unveiled, Rhys Mwyn will discuss the psychogeography of Gwynedd, travel writer Tharik Hussain talks about his new book, ‘Minarets in the Mountains’, and Rebecca Thomas will talk in Welsh about the link between identity and the landscape, plus there will be many more speakers. Events in Welsh will have simultaneous translation provided.

With a career spanning over 60 years, Welsh folk singer/songwriter Dafydd Iwan has enjoyed success with hits including Carlo and Yma O Hyd, which reached number one in the iTunes UK song chart in 2020. Yma O Hyd, which was originally recorded in 1981 and released in 1983, means “still here” in English. He will be on stage the evening of Saturday 2 April for an event focusing on Atgofion a Chaneuon gan Dafydd Iwan/ Songs and Anecdotes by Dafydd Iwan.

Wynnstay Hotel, Charles Dark, who, along with Diane Bailey of Penrallt Books is managing the festival said: “Our first event in November was thoroughly enjoyed, even if we did have to contend with storm Arwen. We can’t wait to bring everyone together once again and hear from some of the UK’s most knowledgeable and acclaimed travel and literature experts and hear music from people as widely respected as Dafydd Iwan.

“Along with our valued sponsors Culture Colony, Penrallt Book shop and Creating Media, we can’t thank our speakers from across the UK enough for agreeing to take part, as they are the best of the best and we can’t wait to welcome them to the beautiful town of Machynlleth.”