Ann Bufton from Craft Cymru
I'm originally from Liverpool and the '97 eisteddfod was the first I'd ever been to. I don't speak Welsh, butt that wasn't a problem - I really enjoyed it. I loved wondering round the stalls, and watching the cookery demonstrations; there's lots of things going on and it isn't a problem if you don't speak Welsh.

I was working in this shop at the time and town was dead during the day! Everyone was on the field, except for at night when the pubs were heaving.

Betty Morris from Llanuwchllyn
The weather was tremendously sunny that year. Also, this area is so steeped in Welsh culture and there are a lot of local welsh people who support the eisteddfod.

I was a member of the eisteddfod choir. There was about 250 of us and we practiced the opera pieces for months beforehand.

I was a member of a few other choirs too - I loved getting involved in the competing, and watching other competitors in the pavilion.

Meinir Lloyd-Wood from Bala Leisure Centre
I was working here in 1997 and we were very busy, especially in the evenings when the children would come swimming after being on the eisteddfod field all day.

It was busy during the day too. Lots of people from the campsite came here for showers, or went to see Anti Mair in the caffi.

My greatest memory is driving to work from Llangower every morning and seeing the giant stone onion which the artist Eilir Rowlands had sculpted high on the hill. It was the symbol of the eisteddfod and was inspired by the river Wnion which flows nearby.

Siôn Williams from Plas yn Dre bar and restaurant
It was a very busy week for us! Having an eisteddfod in the town gives a real boost to the summer and I'm glad to see it coming back.

We had everything here in Bala; it's quite a small town so everyone could get together, the field is so close that you didn't have to walk far and, of course, the weather was fantastic. As a package, you can't get much better.

Nothing really went wrong either. There wasn't any trouble all week. People just used the time to meet up with old friends and have a good time.

Hywel Wyn Edwards, the eisteddfod organiser
The numbers of competitors and those wanting caravans this year is higher than ever, perhaps because everyone remembers how fantastic the eisteddfod in '97 was.

There's no other site where the town is so close to the field. There's only really one long street in Bala, and that's where all the pubs and restaurants are, so when that road's closed to traffic, everyone could come and go as they pleased. It was as though the town was part of the eisteddfod site, and vice versa.

You also get the feeling that the people of Meirionydd know exactly what it is to host an eisteddfod, like the festival is back in its natural home. There aren't many areas left like this which are so steeped in Welsh tradition and culture.

This site does present us with a bit of a challenge though. We can only put the pavilion up in one specific place, so we don't damage any of the Roman remains. The other tents have to be put up without sinking pegs into the ground; they're kept steady by ballast on top of the earth.

I think CADW and the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust were a bit nervous in 1997, but I think they trust us with this special site now.