A Day of Pilgrimage Celebrations
St Davids Cathedral by Paul Edney at Pixabay
A Pilgrim Fayre/Ffair y Pererinion on 29 May in St Davids marks the achievements of the Ancient Connections project in Wales and the launch of the Wexford-Pembrokeshire Pilgrim Way.
The free event from 11am to 6pm takes place at the Bishop’s Palace, with a programme of performance, song, guided walks, a medieval marketplace, traditional skills demos and film screenings.
The day begins with St Davids Cathedral and Wexford-Pembrokeshire Pilgrim Way joining forces to lead a guided walk linking St Aidan and St David. The group starts with a musical send off by Côr Pawb and the Pererin Wyf/I Am A Pilgrim project, continuing along a path to the coast path and visiting St Non’s holy well. If you miss the morning walk, there will be chances to join micro pilgrimages around the cathedral throughout the day.
You can book your place on a walk by going to Ancient Connections.
Span Arts’ choir Côr Pawb invites you to Y Canu Mawr / The Big Sing, a short programme of pilgrimage-related songs performed in St Davids Cathedral. The concert will be livestreamed by the cathedral. More information: Span Arts (span-arts.org.uk).
Small World Theatre is delighted to return with the giant puppet of St David and a new 6m-long sea monster in a procession with musicians and pupils from Ysgol Penrhyn. Join the merriment at 2pm in a Pilgrim Parade from the Cross Square into the grounds of St Davids Cathedral.
A lively medieval marketplace hosts an array of exciting stalls showcasing some of the finest wares the area has to offer. There’ll be stalls selling food and drink made from locally sourced ingredients. There’ll be mischief-makers, meandering minstrels and holy relic sellers and surprise pop-up performances.
Experience traditional crafts and skills used to build the Bishop’s Palace and St Davids Cathedral. Join Tywi Centre craftspeople in their marque as they share their knowledge of historic buildings and demonstrate decorative plasterwork, carving stone, thatching and traditional window-making.
Finally, gather round for open-air concerts with ancient music from Wales and the Celtic nations performed by folk musicians Julie Murphy, Ceri Rhys Matthews and Jess Ward.
