Welsh festival postponed as attendees denied access by UKBA

A planned festival in Cardiff next month which was to be promoted alongside the Wales v Argentina rugby game at the Millennium Stadium has been dumped over fears for the treatment of the invited artists by immigration officials.

The planned CeltFest was scheduled to take place at the Cardiff International Arena at the time of the visit of Los Pumas and was to have been highlighted by Welsh-speaking artist from the Argentinean region of Patagonia. A similar event was held earlier this year on the day of the Six Nations rugby clash against Ireland.

However, the recent case of two Patagonian women who were visiting the UK in order to practice their Welsh caused organisers into a major rethink after the pair was refused entry into Britain at Heathrow Airport by officials from the UK Border Agency.

The organisers were forced to postpone the event over concerns for many of the scheduled visitors; a move they say would be a huge financial loss to the Welsh economy. They have since turned their attentions to a different festival due to coincide with a visit next month by the All Blacks. Headlining that event is Shirley Edwards, one of the women who was initially denied entry but has since then been able to obtain the correct documentation. Event organisers have extended an invitation to government officials to appear live on stage to explain their decision.

Some good news for the two Patagonian women is that they have been the lucky recipients of two free tickets to the All Blacks game courtesy of IRB Player of the Year and concerned citizen Shane Williams.