The Llangollen Trad Lab is a new participatory programme celebrating Welsh traditional music through workshops, sessions and shared music-making, taking place as part of the Llangollen Fringe Festival.
Designed for musicians, singers, learners and anyone curious about traditional music, the Trad Lab creates opportunities to learn directly from experienced artists, build confidence in participatory music-making, and connect with others through tunes, songs and informal sessions.
Inspired by the strong session cultures found across Wales, Ireland and Scotland, the programme encourages people to learn by ear, share repertoire, and become active participants in traditional music.
Whether you're picking up an instrument for the first time, returning after a break, or already a regular session player, everyone is welcome.
Trad Lab Festival Guide
Plan your Fringe with the Trad Lab Festival Guide — bringing together the full Trad Lab programme alongside our Trad · Folk · Global picks from across Llangollen Fringe.
Browse workshops, sessions and live performances, switch between English and Cymraeg, and save what you want to see to My Schedule.
OPEN TH
E TRAD LAB FESTIVAL GUIDE HERE
No download needed — the guide opens in your browser. You can also add it to your phone's Home Screen for quick access throughout the festival.
iPhone: Open in Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen
Android: Open in Chrome → Menu → Add to Home screen
You can also download a printable schedule HERE.
Workshops
Throughout the festival, participants can take part in a series of practical workshops led by professional musicians from across Wales.
Topics include:
- Welsh fiddle traditions
- Welsh song
- Session skills
- Rhythm and percussion
- Creative collaboration
Workshops are designed to be welcoming and participatory, with opportunities to learn new repertoire, develop technique and build confidence playing with others.
Trad Sessions
The Trad Sessions are at the heart of the programme.
Led by experienced musicians, these informal sessions provide a welcoming environment to:
- learn tunes by ear
- share repertoire
- meet other musicians
- develop confidence in session playing
Participants are encouraged to attend workshops during the day before putting new ideas into practice in the sessions.
Session schedule below:
Sunday 6 September | 5:45pm – The Hand Hotel
Trad Session led by Aneirin Jones & guests
Wednesday 9 September | 6:00pm – Gales Wine Bar
Trad Session led by Tim Eastwood, Heather Davies & Geraint Owens
Wednesday 9 September | 10:30pm – Gales Wine Bar
Tom Campbell & guest
Friday 11 September | 10:30pm – Gales Wine Bar
Late Trad Session led by Luc McNally, Matt Tighe & Luke Daniels
Saturday 12 September | 6:45pm – Gales Wine Bar
Trad Session led by Patrick Rimes, Jo Cooper & Freddie Willetts
Saturday 12 September | 10:30pm – Gales Wine Bar
Late Trad Session led by Jo Cooper, Carys Gittins & Elin Gittins
Sunday 13 September | 2:15pm – The Hand Hotel
Trad Session led by Gwawr Mills & Ceri Ashton
Participant Ticket Bursaries
Trad Lab isn't just about learning in workshops and sessions — we want participants to experience traditional and folk music in action across the wider Llangollen Fringe Festival too.
A limited number of free tickets to selected Town Hall performances are available for Trad Lab participants, including:
- Skinny Lister | Support from Piskey Led
- Ryan Young w/ Stuart McCallum | Support from Aneirin Jones
- BCUC
- Talisk | Support from Tom Campbell Trio
- Nubiyan Twist
- Kasai Masai
The festival also features Scotland Introducing, a series of free performances from Scottish traditional and folk artists. No ticket or bursary is needed for these shows — just come along! We really encourage Trad Lab participants to make the most of the wider festival programme, hear different traditions in action, discover new artists and bring some of that inspiration back into the workshops and sessions.
Taking part in Trad Lab? A limited number of free tickets are available for the selected Town Hall performances listed above. If you’d like to attend one, please get in touch at
Tickets are limited and subject to availability.
Thanks to our funders
The Llangollen Trad Lab has been made possible through funding from Tŷ Cerdd's Cronfa Tradd Fund, supported by the Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Government, and The National Lottery.
Their support enables us to create new opportunities for people to participate in Welsh traditional music and helps strengthen traditional music activity across Wales.
Tunes from North East Wales with Patrick Rimes
Saturday 12 September 2026
10:00am – 11:15am
Level: Intermediate–Advanced
Suitable for: All melody instruments
Join acclaimed Welsh musician, composer and educator Patrick Rimes (Vrï) for a workshop exploring the shared musical heritage of North East Wales and its borderlands.
Drawing on two eighteenth-century tune collections from either side of the border—Cass Meurig's edition of Alawon John Thomas and John Offord's collection of tunes from North West England (c.1750)—participants will explore the repertoire that would likely have been played in what is now North East Wales. Expect to learn tunes together by ear and discuss how best to bring this historic repertoire to life in a contemporary context.
While the workshop draws on historical source material, the focus is firmly on making music together and discovering how these tunes continue to resonate today.
| Event Date | 12-09-2026 10:00 am |
| Event End Date | 12-09-2026 11:15 am |
| Individual Price | Free |
| Location | The Hand Hotel |
Playing Welsh Songs Together with Andy Hickie
Saturday 12 September 2026 | 11:30am–12:30pm
Level: All abilities
Suitable for: Singers and instrumentalists – no previous experience required
Join Wrexham-based folk singer and musician Andy Hickie for a relaxed, collaborative workshop exploring Welsh-language songs through singing and playing together.
Drawing on his extensive experience performing traditional folk songs with Welsh and Irish roots, Andy will introduce a selection of Welsh songs and explore how melody, rhythm, voice and instruments can come together in a group setting. Learn the songs, try out different ways of accompanying them and build confidence making music with others.
Andy has been at the heart of the Wrexham folk scene for many years, hosting folk clubs and acoustic nights as well as performing across a wide range of folk and collaborative projects.
Bring a drum or instrument if you have one, or come along and sing. Welsh song lyrics will be provided for participants to take away, learn and keep sharing.
All abilities welcome. No previous musical experience or Welsh language knowledge is needed.
Join the Waiting List: We may add another session if we get enough interest. Please join the waiting list today to let us know you want to attend!
| Event Date | 12-09-2026 11:30 am |
| Event End Date | 12-09-2026 12:30 pm |
| Individual Price | Free |
| Location | The Hand Hotel |
Arranging Traditional Tunes for Harp & Chordal Instruments with Angharad Huw
Saturday 12 September 2026
12:45pm – 1:45pm
Level: Open to all levels
Suitable for: Harpists and players of chordal instruments
Join Flintshire-based harpist Angharad Huw, a First Class graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and recipient of the Musicales Prize, for a workshop exploring how chordal instruments can approach, develop and arrange traditional tunes.
Moving beyond the melody itself, the workshop will explore ideas around accompaniment, arrangement and creating a wider musical soundscape around a tune.
Angharad is an experienced performer and tutor whose varied career spans orchestral and chamber music, solo performance, musical theatre and teaching.
| Event Date | 12-09-2026 12:45 pm |
| Event End Date | 12-09-2026 1:45 am |
| Individual Price | Free |
| Location | The Hand Hotel |
Arabic Percussion with Joëlle Barker
Join Joëlle Barker for an introduction to Arabic percussion, exploring the rhythms, techniques and traditions that underpin Arabic folk music.
Through her work with Panedeni, Joëlle explores the creative conversation between Welsh and Arabic musical traditions. This workshop offers a rare opportunity to experience Arabic percussion first-hand, discovering rhythms and techniques that complement the wider Trad Lab programme while encouraging musical curiosity and cross-cultural exchange.
Full workshop description coming soon.
| Event Date | 13-09-2026 10:00 am |
| Event End Date | 13-09-2026 11:15 am |
| Individual Price | Free |
| Location | The Hand Hotel |
Playing by Heart and with Heart! – Session Skills with Katie Stevens
Sunday 13 September 2026
11:30am – 1:00pm
Level: All abilities
Suitable for: Anyone curious about joining traditional music sessions or looking to build their confidence
Curious about coming to sessions but not sure where to start? Maybe you've been to a few but still feel unsure about joining in, playing by ear or navigating all those unspoken session rules.
Join multi-instrumentalist and experienced traditional musician Katie Stevens for a relaxed, informal workshop designed to help you feel more at home in the session environment. A co-founder of Birmingham Folk CIC, Katie is passionate about creating opportunities for people to learn and play traditional music together, alongside performing with groups including Panedeni, Bonfire Radicals and The Destroyers.
Through a mix of playing, discussion and plenty of opportunities to ask questions, you'll explore:
- Playing by ear and by heart – approaches to learning and remembering tunes without notation
- Session etiquette – understanding some of the unwritten rules and finding your way around them
- Going from listener to player – practical ways to join in, start tunes and play with confidence
Whether you're completely new to sessions or have been attending for a while, this is a friendly space to learn, play and share with others.
Bring a tune if you'd like, bring your instrument if you have one – or just bring yourself!
| Event Date | 13-09-2026 11:30 am |
| Event End Date | 13-09-2026 1:00 pm |
| Individual Price | Free |
| Location | The Hand Hotel |
Songs, Stories & Welsh Identity with Gwilym Bowen Rhys
Sunday 13 September 2026
Level: Some experience helpful
Suitable for: Singers, Welsh speakers and learners, and anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Welsh traditional song
Join acclaimed Welsh folk singer Gwilym Bowen Rhys for a deeper exploration of Welsh traditional song, uncovering the origins, language and meaning behind the music.
Through a selection of traditional songs, Gwilym will explore where they came from, the people and places behind them, and what their words can tell us about Welsh history, culture and identity. Participants will look at the meaning and emotional weight of the lyrics, and consider how understanding what you're singing can shape the way a song is interpreted and performed.
Along the way, you'll learn and sing together, developing a deeper connection with the language, people and living tradition behind the songs.
Some experience of singing or Welsh is helpful, but you don't need to be a fluent Welsh speaker.
| Event Date | 13-09-2026 1:00 pm |
| Event End Date | 13-09-2026 2:15 pm |
| Individual Price | Free |
| Location | The Hand Hotel |