A giant puppet made in Ceredigion is about to go on a tour of west Wales.

The Lord Rhys Puppet will travel through west Wales as part of an anniversary celebration.

The giant puppet will embark on the journey this June as part of a week-long celebration marking the 850th anniversary of The National Eisteddfod of Wales, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Welsh Government.

At the heart of the journey is a spectacular five-metre-tall puppet of Lord Rhys, created by the team at the Small World Theatre in Cardigan, and travelling from town to town before arriving back in Cardigan for a full day of performance, music, poetry and family activities.

The Lord Rhys puppet tour will feature another creation too, as the event is set to feature newly commissioned puppets of the famous Welsh prince and his faithful hound Teifi created by the Skeleton Crew. Hundreds of spectators are expected to follow his journey across the Preseli Hills from St Davids Cathedral to Cardigan Castle.

Everyone is invited to the free events hosted by the local communities in their towns and villages, and featuring Eddie Ladd, Mari Mathias and Ceri Wyn Jones. Expect special guest appearances from Kizzy Crawford, Casi Wyn, Mari Lois, Lowri Evans and many more along the way.

The giant puppet will make his debut in St Davids on 19 June at 5.45pm. He appears in Cenarth and Newcastle Emlyn on 20 June, before journeying to Talgarreg and Llangrannog on 21 June. There’s a short break before he rejoins the celebrations in Goodwick on 25 June, and then onwards to Maenclochog on 26 June!

The celebrations culminate on Saturday 27 June at 6pm with a spectacular public event and giant Parade in Cardigan.

Ann Shrosbree, co-founder of Cardigan’s Small World Theatre, said: “Marc Rees and The National Eisteddfod of Wales have a truly magical vision for this event. Dancers, performers, musicians, a giant pineapple, horses and boats on the River Teifi bring the Eisteddfod chair and crown to Cardigan Castle. It will be like nothing we’ve seen before!”

Bill Hamblett, co-founder and Creative Director of Small World Theatre, added: “We hope this will be a memorable occasion for Cardigan and the surrounding area. We’re also delighted to be collaborating with Ireland’s renowned Spraoi Festival, whose magnificent giant wolves will lead the procession through the streets thanks to the support of Culture Ireland and Wales Arts International.”

All events are free and information is available on the National Eisteddfod’s and Small World Theatre’s websites - https://shorturl.at/KNZNW and https://smallworld.uk

Small World Theatre creates exciting, innovative, enjoyable, high-quality performances and projects that challenge and explore assumptions about the world that we share.

It places particular importance on climate justice, creativity and inclusivity.

Small World Theatre enables diverse communities in Wales to flourish through their engagement with the arts.

It engages with communities and other partners to co-create work expressing their ideas and/or the reality of their lived experiences.

Small World Theatre brings arts activity into the heart of community as a social change agent.