The best pictures from the first days of the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham
Speaking on the opening day, chief executive Betsan Moses said the week-long event was the culmination of two years of hard work organising and fundraising. The National Eisteddfod is the largest cultural festival in Europe, held in a different part of Wales every year and aims to "promote, preserve and protect the heritage and culture of Wales".
This year, it's Wrexham's turn, and there are plenty of nods to its Hollywood connections - although there are no public plans for the adopted pair of Rob and Ryan to attend.
"There was widespread praise for Y Stand, the concert in the pavilion which told the story of a family's connection with football," she said. "The stage had been transformed into a football stadium and the Eisteddfod choir formed the crowd. We invited the audience to wear the red and white of Wrexham FC and we were extremely pleased to see many of them had done so."
This year's president, actor Mark Lewis Jones, with credits in The Crown, Game of Thrones, Keeping Faith, Man Up and Baby Reindeer, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Just a few miles from his home village, he told the Eisteddfod, of his pride. ""I was, and continue to be, a proud Welshman, brought up in a community that was Welsh even though we were so close to the border, but even so I didn't think the Eisteddfod was for a Welshman like me. And it took me a while to understand that I was wrong."
"The Eisteddfod is for everyone, for everyone," he said.
Having sung at every National Eisteddfod for 60 years, veteran folk singer Dafydd Iwan has performed on the festival's main stage for the last time in Wrexham.
He said: "The line has to be drawn somewhere, and I'm looking forward to enjoying several more 'Steddfods' from the back seats!" he said.
The Eisteddfod runs until August 9.
Here are the best pictures from the Maes so far:
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Owain Rhys wins the Crown at the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham
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