Eisteddfod-goers outside the Wales Millennium Centre on Monday

The Welsh-language cultural festival is one of Europe's largest youth events and sees youngsters compete for honours in drama, music, dance and literature.

It is being held inside the Urdd's new headquarters at the Wales Millennium Centre (WMC) and on its doorstep in Roald Dahls Plass.

About 15,000 competitors will perform before the festival closes on Sunday.

The city last hosted the eisteddfod three years ago, when more than 100,000 flocked to Cooper's Field beside Cardiff Castle.

Similar numbers are expected throughout this week. For the first time, they will be watching performances in the WMC's 2,000-seater Donald Gordon Theatre rather than in a pavilion.

Catrin Dafydd was the week's first big winner

Preliminary competitions will also be held at the UCI cinema complex in the Atlantic Wharf leisure village.

There is also a change for the eisteddfod site - or maes - which traditionally focuses on the purpose built pavilion.

However, this year it will extend into Roald Dahls Plass and along Mermaid Quay, with its shops and restaurants, to the Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre.

Urdd Eisteddfod chief executive Efa Gruffydd Jones said:"The main ceremonies are being held in the Donald Gordon Theatre, and you can't have a better theatre than that".

"You can really feel the buzz."

The events which the young competitors - from school age to 25 - take part in vary from diary writing to disco dancing, poetry reading to solo singing, and acting to performing in rock bands.

Efa Gruffydd Jones:' No better stage than the Donald Gordon theatre'

This year's first big medal - for literature - went to Catrin Dafydd, a political researcher from Carmarthenshire.

She won the award for composing ten pieces of poetry on the theme of leaving and returning. The two judges said she had a unique voice and the ability to create fresh images.

Ms Dafydd was educated at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, Pontypridd and Aberystwyth University.

Most performing over the next week had to win through at local and county competitions.