The first Urdd National Eisteddfod was held in 1929 at
Corwen. The Urdd Eisteddfod has become an annual tradition since its inauguration, but has not been staged on three occasions: during the Second World War, the 1940 Eisteddfod, held in
Rhyl, still went ahead, but coming in the same week as the
Dunkirk evacuation, it was a reduced festival, covering all the events in a single day. The Eisteddfod returned after the cessation of hostilities by returning to its roots at Corwen in 1946. In 2001, Gŵyl yr Urdd replaced the Eisteddfod with competitions and performances taking place at two venues (one in North Wales, one in the South) to minimise travel during the foot-and-mouth crisis and a virtual edition was staged during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 with all contributions submitted via video and judging conducted on live video calls. The full eisteddfod was postponed for another year, not taking place again
until 2022. During the 1950s the Eisteddfod began evolving away from the celebration and marching aspect towards more competitive events, mirroring the National Eisteddfod. An art exhibition was introduced in 1955 and a classical concert was included in 1958. One of the more notable events to occur at the Urdd Eisteddfod took place in 1969 at the
Aberystwyth event.
Prince Charles was invited to attend and he was given a public platform to speak to the crowd. This was the year of his
investiture as the Prince of Wales, a role that divided many Welsh people, and around a hundred people stood up and left as the Prince arrived on the stage. The fallout afterwards was also heated, with an editorial in the Welsh-language paper
Y Cymro angering the then director of the Urdd. The
2019 Cardiff and Vale event, held in
Cardiff Bay, was the first Urdd National Eisteddfod to take place without entrance fees, or the traditional fenced
Maes. ==Y Maes==