The festival celebrates Welsh culture Read it in Welsh

Wales's biggest cultural event will now be held on the site of Bryn Terfel's successful Faenol festival near Bangor.

The decision was reached by the event's steering committee despite local opposition.

A row broke out when people living in the Dwyfor region of Gwynedd said the Faenol was outside their catchment area.

They said they had invited the eisteddfod to Pwllheli and that the Bangor location would make it difficult for them to help host the 2005 festival.

They favoured the two other sites on the 2005 shortlist - Glynllifon near Caernarfon and Glandwyfach near Porthmadog.

But it was generally believed the Faenol was the preferred location of eisteddfod chiefs.

The eisteddfod has not listened to the opinion of local people Alwyn Gruffydd, Porthmadog Town Council

The site was chosen because it was the only one that met their strict criteria for 140 acres of land, 30 of which, they say, need to be flat.

"This decision will no doubt disappoint some people," said Eisteddfod Director, Elfed Roberts, announcing the decision.

"But the truth is that the Faenol site was the only one that could meet all of the Eisteddfod's needs.

"Some people have suggested the eisteddfod puts too much of an emphasis on the location issues and the size of the site.

"But these issues are of paramount importance, not only to the eisteddfod itself, but to our customers, which include visitors, competitors and standholders," added Mr Roberts.

Local opinion

The eisteddfod relies partly on the fund-raising efforts of the area hosting the festival each year.

Alwyn Gruffydd, chair of Porthmadog Town Council, says people in Dwyfor spoke out against the Faenol because it is outside their area.

"I am very disappointed with the decision and feel that the eisteddfod has not listened to the opinion of local people.

"We in Dwyfor believed this would be the Dwyfor and Arfon eisteddfod but it is now going to be called the north Gwynedd eisteddfod.

He added: "I believe it will have an effect on the level of fundraising activity for the 2005 eisteddfod in Dwyfor."

'Thorough process'

The Glynllifon site was dismissed for not having enough flat land for the main field and a scattered layout for the parking, caravanning and youth fields.

There was also insufficient flat land and access problems at Glandwyfach.

Richard Morris Jones, chair of the local steering committee, said he was pleased that a decision had been reached.

"It has been a long and thorough process, but in essence only one site was appropriate," he said.

"The eisteddfod not only provides an opportunity for the residents of Gwynedd to participate in a wealth of events, but also provides an opportunity for us to promote Gwynedd to the rest of Wales and the world."