Gwyl Ifan - The height of Summer in St Fagans
Cwmni Dawns Werin Caerdydd by the Kennixton Buildings, St Fagans
St Fagans is always magical in June. You walk past the thatched cottages, the forge clinks in the distance, and you realise that this is a walk people have done for thousands of years. Between blooming hedgerows, under chestnut trees, past baker and clog maker, onwards to celebrate the longest day of the year. This Midsummer’s day, it was hot, and the sky was heavy with eager clouds. But that made the dancers of Cwmni Dawns Werin Caerdydd more eager also- they carried the ribboned pole with a light step, and flowed out onto the green with flurries of scarlet dresses and bobbing tall hats.
Carrying the pole through the village, St Fagans
A vibrant crowd gathered, and the dancers and musicians arranged themselves ready to begin- after all, the pole wasn’t going to raise itself!
The pole goes up! It’s more work that it looks…
So, What Is Gwyl Ifan Anyway?
Gwyl Ifan, St John’s Day, is an old midsummer celebration. It’s tied to June 24th, the traditional feast day of Saint John the Baptist. Think bonfires, music, dancing. Community. In Wales, it’s long been a time for folk traditions to shine, especially through dance.
And if you’ve never seen Welsh folk dancing up close, you’re missing out. The steps, the swish of skirts, the clack of shoes on old stone- it’s storytelling. It’s the passing of physical culture from one generation to the next. Groups like Cwmni Dawns Werin Caerdydd carry this living history, one hop and turn at a time.
St Fagans National Museum of History is the perfect setting for such dancing. None of the old stone buildings would find it a novel sight.
Clogs on for dancing, with an accordion and hurdy-gurdy to click and clack to.
Behind the Lens: Trying to Keep Up with the Twirl
Photographing events like this isn’t just about capturing action, it’s about capturing meaning. You can get a perfectly crisp shot of someone mid-step, but I want to capture how it feels to be there. That means capturing the characters, the movement, and the reality behind the romance.
The light was soft, though I had to dodge some rain. But that’s what makes it fun. Unpredictable days often make the most memorable images. Not long after beginning, the dancers fled to the shade and shelter of a mighty oak, leaving a family or two and myself trapped in a ring of spinning footsteps and twirls. I shot from within, trying to capture the light on the dancers’ faces when they broke from under the canopy and dared risk soaking their woolens.
Later, the dancing was in a different area, a larger courtyard where more dancers could perform at once, and I could drop my shutter speed and catch the whole group in movement.
A couple of dancers spin in the light rain, out from under the oak tree.
The Music, the Movement, the Memory
What struck me most wasn’t just the brilliance of the dancing (which was wonderful), but the togetherness of it all. Children watched with wide eyes, mums and dads tapping their feet, with one member of Cwmni Dawns Werin Caerdydd telling me she’d been there for 48 of the 49 years they had performed on Gwyl Ifan at St Fagans, missing only the first year.
It’s easy to think of culture as something locked in a museum cabinet (of which there are many fascinating exhibits in St Fagans National Museum of History) but here it was, alive and stomping, in the open air.
We talk a lot these days about “slow living” and “getting back to our roots”. There’s lots of (rightful) talk about preserving other cultures and creating space for them, but Wales must continue to keep its traditions alive too. Some of the dancers told me that they struggle to recruit younger dancers these days, which is a huge shame to hear. I’m not sure what the solution is, either.
The wonderful band provide beautiful music for the dancers to spin and jig to.
Why It Stuck With Me
As a photographer working in South Wales, I get to see a lot of big moments. Weddings, family reunions, milestone birthdays, are all things I love to document with my camera. But there’s something particularly special about cultural events like this. They’re not just celebrations; they’re reminders. Anchors to a shared identity.
And for me, I feel very lucky to be witnessing and recording our Welsh cultural story.
It’s also a reminder of why I love shooting here. Wales is full of stories, and between my upcoming project on Welsh Wool, Weddings at Insole Court, or Gwyl Ifan in the rain, it’s nice to be a part of it.
Just a Note to Say…
A huge thanks to Cwmni Dawns Werin Caerdydd for putting on such a beautiful, joyful performance, and to St Fagans for always being the kind of place where history feels personal.
And if you’ve got a wedding, event, or family gathering that deserves to be remembered a little differently, maybe a little more truthfully, drop me a message below.
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