There was an overwhelming amount of cuteness and talent when the Abermain Eisteddfod returned to the historic Abermain Plaza Hall last month.
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The annual event also took to the stage at Performance Arts Culture Cessnock (PACC) for the second time in its long history.
This year's eisteddfod was the 106th anniversary of the Abermain Eisteddfod, which began in 1917 as a singing competition to aid the Abermain Methodist Church.
It eventually became an independent competition, with instrumental, school choirs, public speaking and dance sections added to the program over the years.
The schools section of this year's eisteddfod was held at St Philip's Christian College Cessnock on August 21, while drama and speech sections were cancelled this year due to low numbers.
The singing section of the eisteddfod was held on September 23.
Abermain Eisteddfod Society secretary Moya Waters said it was great to see the schools section of the eisteddfod back up and running this year.
The dance section of the eisteddfod is separated into a troupes day and a solos competition and Ms Waters said the dance sections were on the increase, with at least 300 dancers taking to the stage at PACC.
"It's so wonderful to see, considering we're competing with a lot of competitions in Newcastle," she said.
Since the eisteddfod has moved to PACC, Ms Waters said there's been a big increase with dancers.
"We held one session last year but we were able to have two sessions this year, a morning and afternoon session," she said.
With dancers and their families travelling from across the region, as well as interstate and outer state, Ms Waters said the Abermain Eisteddfod brings a lot of families from out of town to the local area.
"I feel that the Abermain Eisteddfod can only grow from here," she said.
"For a long time, going back about a generation, the Abermain Eisteddfod was the biggest eisteddfod in the state."
Ms Waters said the eisteddfod is generational, with generations of Cessnock families performing in the eisteddfod throughout the years.
"It's an event that the community is quite passionate about," she said.
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Laura Rumbel
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
