Have you heard the famous Welsh legend about 500 bards who were executedby King Edward I for failing to sing his praises at abanquet in Montgomery Castle in 1277?

If the answer is yes, then you're probably Hungarian!

The events were made famous by one of Hungary's most renowned poets, János Arany (1817 - 1882) who celebrates his bicentenary this year. Known as the "Hungarian Shakespeare", he saw parallels between the story of the bards and the oppression faced by Hungarians living under the rule of the Habsburg Monarchy during the 18^thCentury.

Asked to write a poem celebrating the visit of the Emperor of Austria, Franz-Josef, he refused and instead wrote an epic ballad called ‘A Walesi Bárdok' (The Bards of Wales). On its publication in 1863 - disguised as a translation of an old English ballad to avoid censorship - the poem became a symbol of passive resistance against the hated regime and pupils in Hungarian schools still learn it by heart until this very day.

To celebrate Arany's bicentenary, a spectacular animated lightshow, organised by The Hungarian Cultural Centre London and designed by visual artists, Glowing Bulbs, will light up the façade of St John the Baptist Church in Cardiff city centre four times every hour from 7pm - 10pm on Saturday October 21^st.

Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Peter Bradbury, said: "This a great opportunity to learn about the fascinating story behind ‘The Bards of Wales'. The cutting edge video mapping technology used in this installation, coupled with the creativity of Glowing Bulbs, the Hungarian visual artists who developed it, mean it promises to be an illuminating celebration of the life of János Arany and the links between Hungarian and Welsh culture."

Date & Time

Saturday 21^stOctober 2017, 4 times per hour between 7pm and 10pm.

St John the Baptist Church, 3 St John Street, Cardiff, CF10 1GJ