Llais Festival 2026 brings Laurie Anderson, Charlotte Church and global musical voices to Cardiff
Wales Millennium Centre will once again become a meeting point for extraordinary musical voices from around the world as Llais Festival returns to Cardiff Bay from 7 to 11 October 2026.
Music lovers in Cardiff are being invited to discover something a little different this autumn as Llais Festival 2026 returns to Wales Millennium Centre as part of the wider Cardiff Music City Festival.
Taking place from 7 to 11 October, Llais brings together internationally acclaimed musicians, Welsh artists, emerging talent and unexpected collaborations for five days of performances across Wales Millennium Centre’s iconic spaces.
The festival is built around one simple idea: discovery.
Rather than following streaming charts or algorithms, Llais aims to introduce audiences to artists and performances they may not otherwise encounter, creating unique live experiences that cross musical genres and cultural boundaries.
From folk and gospel to experimental sound, orchestral music, storytelling and immersive technology, the programme reflects Wales’ reputation as the Land of Song while looking far beyond its borders.
Laurie Anderson, Blind Boys of Alabama and Lisa Hannigan lead the line-up
One of the biggest names coming to Cardiff for Llais 2026 is pioneering American multimedia artist Laurie Anderson.
Anderson will perform in Wales for the first time with Friends and Teachers, a specially created performance developed exclusively for Llais. Known for her groundbreaking work across music, performance, visual art and technology, her appearance promises to be one of the festival’s standout moments.
Also joining the programme are Grammy-winning gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama, who will perform alongside the London African Gospel Choir in a celebration of Paul Simon’s Graceland.
Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan will also host her celebrated collaborative project Sirens, bringing together an impressive collection of artists for a special performance.
The project features Theodora Byrne Trio, Jane Patterson, Helen Murray, Amanda Bergman, Kate Stables, Landless, Bess Atwell, Charlotte Church and more.
For audiences who enjoy discovering collaborations that you simply would not see on a standard gig programme, Sirens looks set to be one of the most intriguing events of the festival.
From Cuba to Senegal and Wales
Llais isn’t just bringing individual artists together. The festival is also creating opportunities for different musical traditions to meet.
Buena Vista All Stars will appear alongside Senegalese collective Orchestra Baobab, bringing together two internationally celebrated musical traditions for what promises to be a memorable evening in Cardiff.
Welsh composer and sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun will also perform with the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales in Coming Together / Dod Ynghyd.
The performance explores the meeting of different musical traditions, bringing Degun’s work together with one of Wales’ leading orchestral ensembles.
The festival’s smaller venues will offer another side of the programme.
Welsh and emerging artists take over the Weston Studio
The Weston Studio will host a series of performances throughout the festival, including Shovel Dance Collective + Naima Bock, Bess Atwell, Tomos Williams and Tristwch y Fenywod alongside Joanne Robertson and Jasper Llewelyn.
Tomos Williams will present Cwmwl Tystion III / Empathy, continuing his exploration of jazz, Welsh music and contemporary composition.
Meanwhile, the Cabaret space will host performances from Landless and Jordan Playfair.
The programme will also include Oram Awards x Tŷ Cerdd, a collaboration celebrating women and gender-diverse artists working across sound, music and technology.
Developed specifically for Llais 2026, the event brings together the Oram Awards team, Tŷ Cerdd | Music Wales and this year’s award recipients for a special programme exploring the relationship between music, technology and contemporary creative practice.
Llais goes beyond live music with VR Cinema
Music isn’t the only thing audiences can experience at Llais this year.
Wales Millennium Centre will also host a VR Cinema exhibition from 28 September to 11 October, bringing immersive storytelling and virtual reality into the festival programme.
Four internationally acclaimed VR experiences will be presented:
Just for You Trilogy features three award-winning immersive films by Taiwanese theatre-maker Craig Quintero, exploring memory, mortality and the space between dreams and reality.
The Art of Change by Funilab and DROELOE takes audiences on a visually striking VR journey exploring identity, memory and personal transformation.
Bodies of Water, created by Canadian XR artist Chélanie Beaudin-Quintin, explores the relationship between the human body and water.
And Ôl | Haunts, by Lucy Hammond and Tom Chetwode-Barton, offers a Welsh perspective on immersive storytelling. Set in North Wales in 2006, the coming-of-age VR experience combines memory, music and the Welsh party scene.
The inclusion of VR adds another dimension to Llais, expanding the idea of what a music festival can be and exploring the connections between sound, technology, storytelling and immersive art.
The full Llais Festival 2026 programme
The festival gets underway on Wednesday 7 October with the Welsh Music Prize 2026, celebrating the finest album released by a Welsh artist over the previous year.
The main programme then continues across Wales Millennium Centre’s venues:
Donald Gordon Theatre
Wednesday 7 October
Welsh Music Prize 2026
Thursday 8 October
Laurie Anderson: Friends and Teachers
Friday 9 October
Blind Boys of Alabama + London African Gospel Choir performing Graceland
Saturday 10 October
Sirens, hosted by Lisa Hannigan
Sunday 11 October
Buena Vista All Stars + Orchestra Baobab
Weston Studio
Thursday 8 October
Shovel Dance Collective + Naima Bock
Friday 9 October
Bess Atwell
Saturday 10 October
Tomos Williams: Cwmwl Tystion III / Empathy
Sunday 11 October
Tristwch y Fenywod + Joanne Robertson + Jasper Llewelyn
Cabaret
Friday 9 October
Oram Awards x Tŷ Cerdd
Saturday 10 October, afternoon
Landless
Saturday 10 October, evening
Jordan Playfair
BBC Hoddinott Hall
Thursday 8 October
Jasdeep Singh Degun x BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales: Coming Together / Dod Ynghyd
Llais is part of Cardiff Music City Festival
Llais takes place as part of Cardiff Music City Festival, a wider two-week celebration of music running from 2 to 17 October 2026.
The programme also incorporates Sŵn Festival and the Welsh Music Prize, with the wider festival aiming to protect, promote and strengthen Cardiff’s music ecosystem.
For Wales Millennium Centre, Llais is also an opportunity to reinforce its role as a home for adventurous international performance while continuing to champion artists from Wales.
Graeme Farrow, Chief Creative Officer at Wales Millennium Centre, describes the festival as a deliberately curated alternative to the way audiences increasingly discover music through streaming platforms and algorithms.
“Llais is about discovery,” he says, highlighting the experience of hearing something new live and leaving transformed by it.
That idea feels particularly relevant in a city with such a diverse music scene. Rather than offering one particular genre or musical identity, Llais encourages audiences to take a chance on something unfamiliar.
And with artists from Wales, Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and beyond all appearing across the programme, Cardiff is set to become a particularly exciting place for musical discovery this October.
Tickets for Llais Festival 2026
Tickets for Llais Festival 2026 are on sale through Wales Millennium Centre, with a multi-buy offer available for audiences booking several events.
Book tickets for two Llais events and save 10%, or book three events and save 15%.
The offer excludes the Welsh Music Prize, Jasdeep Singh Degun with BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, and VR Cinema experiences. Terms and conditions apply.
With exclusive performances, international collaborations, Welsh talent and immersive experiences all packed into five days, Llais 2026 looks set to be one of the most adventurous music events in Cardiff this autumn.
If your usual playlist is beginning to feel a little predictable, this might be the festival to step outside it.
