Llais Festival will return to Wales Millennium Centre from 7–11 October 2026, with Laurie Anderson leading this year’s programme.
The Cardiff Bay festival forms part of Cardiff Music City Festival, which runs from 2–17 October and also includes Sŵn Festival and the Welsh Music Prize.
Llais will bring musicians and performers from Wales and around the world to venues across the Wales Millennium Centre. This year’s line-up spans folk, gospel, experimental pieces, orchestral performances and more.
Leading the programme is Laurie Anderson, who will perform in Wales for the first time with Friends and Teachers, a new performance created especially for Llais.
Elsewhere on the line-up, Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan will bring her collaborative Sirens project to the festival, featuring artists such as Theodora Byrne Trio, Jane Patterson, Helen Murray, Amanda Bergman, Kate Stables, Landless, Bess Atwell and Charlotte Church, among others.
Grammy-winning gospel group Blind Boys of Alabama will also appear, supported by the London African Gospel Choir, who will perform Paul Simon’s Graceland.
Further artists include Cuban icons Buena Vista All Stars alongside Orchestra Baobab, while composer-sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun will perform with BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales in a celebration of musical traditions coming together.
In the Weston Studio, performances include Shovel Dance Collective with Naima Bock, Bess Atwell, Tristwch y Fenywod with Joanne Robertson and Jasper Llewelyn, and Tomos Williams’ Cwmwl Tystion III / Empathy.
Wales Millennium Centre’s Cabaret venue will host Landless and Jordan Playfair, as well as Oram Awards x Tŷ Cerdd, which champions the work of women and gender-diverse artists exploring sound, music and technology.
Llais will also include four virtual reality works at Wales Millennium Centre’s VR Cinema. The exhibition runs from 28 September to 11 October.
Tickets are on sale through Wales Millennium Centre.
