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 in Cymraeg or English.
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.
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