Eisteddfod chairman GH Northing at the opening ceremony

The somewhat radical move might not have been approved of by the event's founder, the late Caesar Hughes, who was a puritanical teetotaller.

He was a shrewd businessman who did not approve of alcohol and insisted it should be banned from the festival.

The multi-cultural festival was set up as a means of promoting international harmony in the wake of World War II.

It was back in 1946 when he was approached by a group of people from Llangollen who had the idea of setting up the annual eisteddfod.

He threw his energies behind the project and, more than half a century later, the event has grown and grown.

Smuggling

It regularly attracts more than 6,500 competitors representing some 47 countries - and an audience of nearly 100,000.

Hundreds of thousands more also enjoy the festival through the television coverage.

Like that other great Welsh cultural event, the National Eisteddfod, Llangollen has always been a teetotal event - even though visitors have been smuggling in their own alcohol for many years.

But when the festival opens on Monday, organisers will be able to celebrate the 55th anniversary with a drink at a bar on site - set up in response to public demand.

Iechyd da! : Winners can be toasted in style

The bar will be run by an old family friend of Caesar Hughes, Colin Louchlim of White House Wines, and serving behind it will be Caesar's grandson.

This year's event - held in the small market town on the banks of the River Dee - has been overshadowed by administrative hitches.

Last month, organisers said they were concerned for the future after a number of international groups had to withdraw because of visa problems.

Officials were worried that the festival would struggle to keep its unique international flavour if the situation did not improve.

Visa problems

The main problem was the expense of visas in countries like the Ukraine, where they cost �33 a head - more than a week's salary.

A group from Algeria had other visa problems.

They would have had to travel 1,000 miles to Tunisia - because visas are not issued in their own country.

A further setback was that there were no concessions for children applying for a visa.

Organisers said that, as a result, the festival had seen a reduction in the number of children's groups planning to attend.

Staying home

Last summer there were concerns that potential asylum seekers from eastern Europe had attempted to use the eisteddfod as a way of getting into the UK.

Members of dance groups from Armenia and Romania were refused entry after questions were raised about their visa applications.

Two folkdance groups which should have performed were forced to stay at home.

British Embassy officials in Armenia became suspicious when several young single men - who had joined a folkdance group the previous November - applied for visas to compete at the eisteddfod.

When their requests to enter the UK were rejected the entire group pulled out of the trip.

Members of a Romanian group were also refused visas after questions were raised about some of their members' reasons for wanting to come to Wales.