​GWLAD tickets are released, as more sessions and speakers are revealed

Tickets are now available for GWLAD: Future Wales Festival, a brand new event taking place in Cardiff Bay, 25-29 September. 

The free GWLAD festival is a conversation starter which will encourage discussion about a future Wales focusing on topics such as society, politics, culture, diversity and equality, sport, language, media and how Wales is portrayed outside its borders. There is also a celebration of talents with art, culture, comedy and music. 

Tickets can be ordered online at www.devolution20.wales/gwlad from Friday 30 August, and are allocated on a first come first served basis. Others will be able to watch the main event online at www.devolution20.wales 

The festival is held in the Senedd and Pierhead buildings, and some sessions will take place inside the Siambr debating chamber itself – a unique stage in an area rarely open to the public.

Elin Jones AM, Llywydd of the National Assembly for Wales says; “As the tickets are released today, we’re excited to announce more details about the excellent contributors who will speak from the GWLAD stage in September. This is a free event, for everyone to come to listen or contribute to a conversation about the direction and focus for the next 20 years of devolution.” 

More speakers and sessions announced

More speakers and sessions have been announced, adding to the line-up released in the first-look schedule earlier this month. 

The festival opens with a session chaired by ITV Wales Political Editor Adrian Masters. In the company of a panel of guests he’ll take us back to 1999 when the Assembly was established, before setting the tone for the rest of the festival by discussing hopes and aspirations for the next 20 years. 

Race Council Cymru’s discussion session will focus on the key challenges for equality in the Welsh economy, and the panellists are Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna (Cardiff Business School), Professor Parvaiz Ali (Former Head of Nuclear Medicine, Singleton Hospital), Ali Abdi (Community Organiser, Citizens Cymru), Sahar Al-Faifi (Regional Manager of South Wales and West England Muslim Engagement and Development), chaired by Chantal Patel (Swansea University). Also at the Pierhead building, to coincide with the festival, Race Council Cymru will hold their Black History Wales Youth Awards.

Among the festival’s other varied discussion sessions is a panel of sporting legends. Athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson and rugby legend Colin Charvis are among the panellists who will discuss leadership and how Wales can achieve more international success in the future.

#OurFutureWales is the title of Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe’s lecture as she discusses the future challenges and opportunities, as the only country in the world to legislate for future generations, and explores the impact of the Well-being of Future Generations Act for Wales and the world. 

In a discussion led by the charity Chwarae Teg, Jocelyn Davies (former Plaid Cymru AM), Sahar Al-Faifi, Sue Essex (former Labour AM) and Angel Ezeadum (Welsh Youth Parliament) will discuss how to achieve equality and secure a voice for all women in the Senedd. 

“Do we need journalists?” is the question posed by Dr Justin Lewis of Cardiff University JOMEC. He’ll be discussing the role of journalism in the digital age with some of Wales’ younger generation of journalists; Ciaran Jenkins (Channel4 News), Seren Jones (BBC Radio4 and BBC World Service) and Steffan Powell (BBC Newsbeat).

Joining Aberystwyth University’s International Politics Department to discuss language and bilingualism will be Professor Colin Williams (Cardiff University), Patxi Baztarrika (former Deputy Minister For Language Policy, Basque Government) and Graham Fraser (previously Commissioner of Official Languages, Canada).

And much more…

These are only a few of the discussions which will take place over the five day festival. It’s possible to browse through the schedule on the www.devolution20.wales/gwlad website and tickets will be available on the website from Friday 30 August.

Earlier in August, some of the first contributors were announced to include conversations with Charlotte Church and Rhys Ifans, and a comedy night with Tudur Owen and the team behind Machynlleth Comedy Club. He will be joined by stand-ups Lloyd Langford, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Mike Bubbins, Matt Rees and Esyllt Sears. 

The line-up for the BBC Horizons music gig will be revealed at a later date. 

The festival is hosted by the National Assembly for Wales as part of activity to mark 20 years of devolution. GWLAD is held in conjunction with a list of partners, who contribute their own topics and themes to the event:

Aberystwyth University’s Department of International Politics, Arts Council of Wales, BAFTA Cymru, BBC Horizons, BBC Question Time, BBC Wales, Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC), Chwarae Teg, Ffotogallery, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Hay Festival, Institute of Welsh Affairs, Into Film Cymru, ITV Wales, Machynlleth Comedy Festival, Public Affairs Cymru, Pyst, S4C, Welsh Race Council, Wales Governance Centre.