In 1861, the first ever National Eisteddfod to be hosted in Wales took place in Aberdare on part of Hirwaun’s common which later became Aberdare Park.
A procession of 2,000 people walked from Aberdare town centre to the park whilst being led by Cwmaman Silver Band. This whole event was then televised by the BBC.
For the purpose of this event, a decision was made to divide the park into sections: the top end of the park including most of the central field was allocated to the Eisteddfod celebrations whilst the bottom end of the park was reserved for general public use.