A little corner of Disney World becomes Wales for the weekend

The North American Festival of Wales is being held in the Orlando theme park in a bid to attract more families.

An eisteddfod, concert, seminars, and a banquet, as well as informal singing sessions have been scheduled.

More than 800 people are expected to attend the event, which also features a cinema showing Welsh films and a chance to buy Welsh produce.

Karen Ellis, from the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association which has organised the event, said people from all over the USA were attending.

"We have people from just about every state - New York, Maine, California, Texas - everywhere," she said.

"Families who are separated across the country use it as a great way to get people together each year.

The best thing is the coming together of people with widely divergent ties to all things Welsh - there is an atmosphere of friendship, and a spirit of community Philip Davies

"Every year it is in a different city, and we chose Disney World as we were looking for something for families and try to get all age groups.

"Around 500 people have registered, but we are expecting a lot more local people will come along for the concert on Saturday night."

Alun Hughes, with his family, left south Wales for Canada in 1969

Mrs Ellis, who lives in Hartland, Michigan, said people saw it as a way to keep in touch with their home nation.

Among those there were Alun Hughes, 63, who left Bridgend, south Wales, in 1969 to teach geography in Canada.

Mr Hughes, of Thorold, Ontario, took his Kansas-born wife Joyce Little and their daughters, aged 12 and seven - who have the thoroughly Welsh names of Nia and Ffion.

Seeing Wales was like the first time I saw the Grand Canyon... it was so beautiful Kansas-born Joyce Little

Mr Hughes said: "It's very nice to be surrounded by Welsh people, although the majority here are not from Wales, but their family came over at some point in the past."

He believed the event also typified the appeal of the homeland for expats. "You get people here who were born in Wales and if they carried on living in Wales they would have very little interest in it apart from the rugby."

His wife Joyce had never been to Wales before they met, but she shares his love for the land of his fathers.

Richard and Linda Carter, Sarah and Tad Dupuis and children Allison and Coleman, from Georgia

"Seeing Wales was like the first time I saw the Grand Canyon," she said. "I was expecting to be disappointed because I had been told so much, but it was so beautiful."

Philip Davies, president of the National Welsh American Foundation (NWAF), said the festival was "almost more Welsh than being in Wales".

"It is a very nice mix of activities which makes for a very good three or four days," he said.

Mr Davies, who is originally from Carmarthen, travelled to the festival from New Jersey with his wife and 19-year-old daughter.

"The best thing is the coming together of people with widely divergent ties to all things Welsh - there is an atmosphere of friendship, and a spirit of community."

During the weekend, the NWAF presented its annual heritage medallion to Dr Arturo Roberts, editor of the North American Welsh newspaper Ninnau, for his contribution to Welsh-American life.

Singing festival

The weekend incorporates America's 74th Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu (a singing festival) and will feature speeches from Cardiff author Peter Finch and Gareth Williams, who lectures at the University of Glamorgan.

The cinema, which has been set up by the Wales International Centre in New York, had daily showings of The Man Who Went Up A Hill And Came Down A Mountain, directed by Chris Monger.

There were also screenings of two BBC Wales programmes, Star Spangled Dragon and Pembrokeshire, Land of Dreams, Saints and Stones.