Fairfax Academy Eisteddfod 2025: Roll up, roll up! Fairfax Academy’s annual Eisteddfod brought a splash of festive magic to the school, as the legendary arts competition delivered two nights of incredible performances embodying the colour, fun and freedom of this year’s theme – Carnival.
The annual Eisteddfod has been a much-anticipated fixture on the Sutton Coldfield school calendar since 1961.
And at the end of it all, with all four houses putting on one-of-a-kind performances, it was Coventry that walked away with the win.
The 2025 Eisteddfod, which has been a much-anticipated fixture on the school calendar since 1961, saw the four houses of Coventry, Kenilworth, Stratford and Warwick battling it out for the coveted Eisteddfod Cup.
And with this year’s theme being Carnival, Fairfax’s celebration of international festivals, circus thrills and fairground fun included everyone from Dora the Explorer to Lola the showgirl.
As usual, the festival began before students hit the stage, with individual students competing in creative writing, 2D and 3D art, photography, food preparation and flower arranging to score points for their house.
But it was the two-night performing arts showcase that really brought the spirit of Carnival to life, with students singing, playing, dancing and acting their hearts out in pursuit of the Eisteddfod Cup.
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.
All four house choirs performed their own renditions of “Wakka Wakka: This Time for Africa” by Shakira, before belting out their own chosen songs, including hits from Katy Perry, Ricky Martin, Whitney Houston and Disney’s Encanto.
Talented dancers showcased choreographed routines inspired by Moulin Rouge, side-show ‘freaks’ and Mardi Gras magic, while spoken word performances by Harry Tee (Kenilworth), Shae Karwowski (Stratford), Jake Brown (Warwick) and Spencer Dowling (Coventry) had audiences enraptured.
The instrumental performances were as varied as ever, with Coventry assembling a fiery medley, Warwick playing a selection of songs from global carnival cultures, Stratford playing a samba and Kenilworth dishing out modern hits from Madness, Britney Spears, Queen and My Chemical Romance.
The vocal arrangements also showed remarkable creativity, with Fairfax singers’s delivering the rhythms of Rio Carnival, musical theatre classics and a healthy dose of pop hits.
Lastly, each house put on a spectacular play, spanning the genres of horror, comedy and whodunnit. Nowhere else but Eisteddfod would you see PT Barnum, the cast of Friends, King Julien, Claudia Winkleman, James Bond and Mr Tumble on the same stage!
Principal Sean Castle said: “Eisteddfod is without doubt the biggest and most anticipated event here at Fairfax, and as always, I’ve been impressed by the effort of all our students, who have dedicated so much time to perfecting their work.
“They truly have gone above and beyond, both on the stage and off it. They’ve been working on their submissions and performances for weeks, which really shows the culture of hard work, enthusiasm and appreciation for the arts we have here at Fairfax.
“I’d like to congratulate Coventry on their well-deserved win, and thank everyone who has been involved for putting on such a fantastic show – we are so proud of them all.”
Fairfax Academy Eisteddfod 2025
