Fairfax Academy Eisteddfod 2024: Fairfax Academy’s annual Eisteddfod was a blast from the past, with the legendary school arts festival delivering two nights of stellar performances set to a nostalgic 1990s theme.
And, after two nights of incredible packed-out performances on December 18th and 19th, Principal Sean castle announced that this year’s winner was Coventry.
The Fairfax Academy Eisteddfod 2024, which has been a beloved staple of the school calendar since 1961, saw talented Fairfax students channelling the energy of the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Liam Gallagher and more, in a fantastic tribute to the 90s.
And as usual, the four houses of Coventry, Kenilworth, Stratford and Warwick, were battling for the Eisteddfod Cup at the academy, which is the founding school of the ambitious Fairfax Multi-Academy Trust.
The festival began before the stage performances, with individual students competing in creative writing, 2D and 3D art, photography, food preparation and flower arranging.
But it was the spectacular performance nights which transported audiences back to the 90s. The four houses duked it out across six categories: choir, instrumental, spoken word, vocal, dance and a play, with the students themselves directing and assembling every aspect of the performances.
Choirs from all four houses performed renditions of “I’ll Be There For You” by the Rembrandts, best known as the iconic theme song from sitcom Friends. Each choir then sang a chosen song from the decade, bringing the music of the Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls and Take That to the stage.
The instrumental performances spanned a wide range of genres, with Coventry paying tribute to 90s rock bands and Kenilworth merging the sound of Metallica with Michael Jackson. It was a battle of the Britpop bands for Stratford, and Warwick paid tribute to nostalgic 90s hits in their “Cassette Chronicles” ensemble.
Students choreographed dance routines for Fairfax Academy Eisteddfod 2024
The dance routines, expertly choreographed by Fairfax students themselves, had audiences stunned, while spoken word performances by Elliot Cronin (Coventry), Francesca Corrall (Kenilworth), Francis Robbins (Stratford) and Sebastian Ashworth (Warwick) showcased the school’s finest dramatic talent.
The vocal performances ranged from pop and musical theatre to R’n’B and hip hop, and each house put on a play paying tribute to iconic moments of the era, with celebrities, classic films and even Dolly the cloned sheep!
Principal Sean Castle said: “Once again Fairfax’s students have gone above and beyond to deliver two brilliant nights of performances which brought the 90s alive.
“Eisteddfod is by far the biggest event on our school calendar, and the centre of our annual house competition, so students work towards it for weeks and weeks, creating art, writing and rehearsing together.
“I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to make it happen – and congratulate Coventry for a well-deserved win!”
Fairfax Academy Eisteddfod 2024
