Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival

Los Angeles St. David’s Day Festival
Druid Ceremony at the 2013 Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival, with founder Lorin Morgan-Richards holding the Mari Lwyd, while Peter Anthony Freeman speaks.
Los Angeles St. David’s Day Festival - 2013
Dates First weekend in March
Location(s) Los Angeles, CA
Years active 2011-present
Website
http://www.welshleagueofsocal.com

The Los Angeles St. David’s Day Festival is an annual arts and cultural festival held in Los Angeles, California. It takes place during the first weekend of March, and it attracts Welsh ex-pats and Welsh descendants from all over the United States.[1] Activities include Welsh and other Celtic music, genealogy, food and drink, Welsh language classes, cultural exhibits, Welsh authors, crafts, and children's activities.

The festival was founded by Lorin Morgan-Richards, is produced by the Welsh League of Southern California,[2] and is one of the largest Welsh festivals in America.[3] Past headling acts include Siobhan Owen,[4] Meinir Gwilym,[5] and Poxy Boggards.[6]

History

The West Coast Eisteddfod, the first Welsh festival in Los Angeles since 1925, took place September 23–25, 2011, attracting over 2,000 attendees. The event was coordinated by A Raven Above Press and the Meriweather Lewis Memorial Eisteddfod Foundation. In December 2012, the Los Angeles Welsh Presbyterian Church, a major cultural landmark that served the Welsh community for over 100 years, closed its doors.[7] With the success of the festival and untimely closure of the church, Lorin Morgan-Richards of A Raven Above Press began re-building the festival to ensure the Welsh community had a cultural presence.[8] In 2013, coinciding with the Los Angeles St. David’s Day Festival, Richard Burton received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The induction, supported by a Western Mail campaign, included appearances by Michael Sheen, Ioan Gruffudd, and Richard Burton’s family.[9]

Following the 2014 event, Lorin Morgan-Richards called on active members of the community to form the Welsh League of Southern California to build on what had been achieved.[10] Peter Anthony Freeman was elected President and spoke of the importance of the event: “The celebration of Saint David’s is more than commemorating the life of an ancient monk. This is a celebration and a reminder of where we come from. One of the greatest features of America is that it does not ask us to abandon our culture, rather we are asked to contribute our culture, so that the whole may become greater than the sum of the parts.”[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Welsh artists to descend on Hollywood this coming St David’s Day". Wales World Wide. 2014-02-10. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  2. ↑ "St David’s Day 2015 Events Roundup". Wales.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  3. ↑ "How they celebrate St Davids Day in the USA and Canada". North Wales Extra. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  4. ↑ "St David’s Day Festival – National Day of Wales". Time Out Los Angeles. 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  5. ↑ "From the Antarctic to Disneyland Paris the world celebrates St David’s Day". Wales Online. 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  6. ↑ http://www.walesworldwide.org/2015/02/st-davids-day-festival-returns-to-hollywood/
  7. ↑ "Welsh Church in Los Angeles holds final Sunday service". BBC Wales News. 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  8. ↑ "The Welsh in America". Wales Arts Review. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  9. ↑ "Richard Burton film takes center stage at St David’s Day Festival in LA". Wales Online. 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  10. ↑ http://www.welshleagueofsocal.com
  11. ↑ http://www.british-weekly.com/?p=16709

External links

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