Wales has long celebrated its choral tradition, but a major festival planned for the Principality Stadium next year is facing significant withdrawal from singing groups over what participants describe as unexpectedly high participation costs.
The Land of Song Festival, scheduled for 7 to 9 May 2027 in Cardiff, will feature world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performing on Saturday 8 May, with a mass choir event planned for Sunday 9 May. However, approximately 40 choirs and singing groups have announced on social media that they will not participate, citing financial barriers that include both organisational fees and per-singer charges.
The festival's fee structure requires each choir to pay a £150 subscription, with an additional £42 charge for every individual choir member. According to the festival's FAQ page, both fees are required at registration. For a choir with 20 members, this totals approximately £1,000 before additional costs such as coach hire and accommodation for groups travelling from outside Wales.
Huw Watkins, who has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Wales rugby matches with Glynneath Male Voice Choir, expressed his surprise at the pricing model.
We couldn't get over it - we've never paid anything before to participate.Glynneath Male Voice Choir, which had planned to send about 20 members, determined the total cost would be prohibitive. Watkins noted that the festival's website also indicates additional charges for physical copies of sheet music.
Watkins acknowledged the disappointment for newer choir members who would have benefited from performing at such a large-scale event.
It would have been an experience for the new choristers - these opportunities don't come around that often as well, especially in the Principality.He also expressed concern about the festival's viability.
There is a good possibility that it might not go ahead.
Colin Williams, a member of Llantrisant Male Choir with approximately 78 members, described a similar experience. The choir had paid the £150 registration fee but withdrew after learning of the per-member charge.
After paying the registration fee, the communication from the organisers was non-existent as to what we would be singing and the practice needed, then the next thing we saw on social media was that they'd be charging £42 per chorister to sing there, which is unheard of.
Williams, who has sung with the choir for 44 years, emphasised that choirs typically receive payment rather than pay to perform.
I've been singing 44 years in the choir and I've never had to pay to sing, normally we get paid to sing.He described the reaction from his choir's membership as unanimous in opposition.
We shared that info in our Whatsapp groups and the reaction was unanimous, people didn't want to take part.While the choir has not prevented individual members from participating independently, the organisation itself cannot commit to the event.
Williams characterised the fee level as excessive given the demands on participants.
Some of our members haven't done these mass events, so I feel sorry for them, but being asked to pay £42 is a lot, and it's a lot of work and rehearsals, so it's massive cheek to ask for that much.
What the fees include
According to the festival's official FAQ, the £150 choir leader subscription includes a guaranteed place at Principality Stadium, complimentary choir leader membership, a free official T-shirt and a professional vocal score book. The £42 per-singer fee includes a place in Côr World Choir, an official performance T-shirt and access to the music room when it opens in November.
Festival scale and marketing
The Land of Song Festival is being promoted as one of the world's largest shared singing events, with organisers aiming to bring together thousands of singers from Wales, the rest of the UK and around the world. The festival was first announced in August 2026 as part of a new international celebration of singing in Cardiff. Organisers have projected that up to 20,000 choristers could perform on the Sunday, though participants now question whether such numbers are realistic given the financial barriers.
Registration timeline
According to the Principality Stadium's event page, choir registration opened on Friday 18 September 2026, with the choir portal now live for adults. Priority booking for choir members, their families and friends opened on Monday 21 September 2026, with general sale scheduled to begin on Friday 25 September at 10.00am BST.
The event organisers, The Land of Song Festival and the Principality Stadium, have been asked to comment on the withdrawal of choirs and the concerns raised about participation costs.
Key Facts
- The Land of Song Festival is scheduled for 7 to 9 May 2027 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with Andrea Bocelli headlining on 8 May and the mass choir event on 9 May
- Participation costs include a £150 choir subscription and £42 per individual singer, with a 20-member choir paying approximately £1,000 before travel and accommodation expenses
- Approximately 40 choirs have announced they will not participate due to the fee structure, which is unprecedented in the choral community
- The festival aims to gather thousands of singers from Wales, the UK and internationally, though participation numbers now appear uncertain
