Schmae Campers!
This is Newsletter 01 for our 2026 event The Hogs Ball at Llamedos Holiday Camp.
In this newsletter, we give you some of the history about Llamedos Holiday Camp and we also give you the important news about our next event The Hogs Ball at Llamedos Holiday Camp!
Firstly, let's delve into a little bit of history.
The History of Llamedos Holiday Camp as an event.
Llamedos Holiday Camp came about as a direct result of an April Fools joke back in 2019.
Our company Director was attending the Irish Discworld Convention as part of the team at Discworld Monthly (now known as Better Than a Poke in the Eye) when she decided to make a joke about a future event. She even got Dai the Druid to confirm it was a good idea as a joke!
Discworld Monthly then put out the following on their social media channels…
As a direct result of this, not only did the Irish Convention committee believe it to be real but so did thousands of people online.
So when she announced at noon, that it was an April Fool's joke, a lynch mob formed chanting the phrase "It's the will of the people" some of which followed her around Ireland for the next three days!
On the ferry home, there were some decisions made…
With the main one being that she did NOT want to run a Discworld Convention.
Instead, she wanted to run something that was all about Discworld fans doing fun activities with other Discworld fans and thus Llamedos Holiday Camp was born.
The premise was that Llamedos Holiday Camp is firmly located in Llamedos on the Discworld.
With ideas such as Nobby's knee competitions, talent contests, fun sports day races, dragon racing, radio plays, witch trials and other fun activities, and a PurpleCoat team to run it all, she headed off to find the perfect venue.
At the time (May 2019) 450 Discworld fans were heading to Llanelli for a European Premiere of Snow Gum Film's Troll Bridge, a film based on a Discworld short story and she thought that if 450 people were happy to come all the way to Llanelli for a 25 min film, then perhaps they would come this far for Llamedos Holiday Camp!
Looking close by, she found The Diplomat Hotel and the rest is… well I wouldn't say history but some of it is well beyond explanation, you'll have to come and experience it for yourself.
2020
The first Llamedos Holiday Camp had tickets on sale just a couple of weeks later, and the event itself happened on 6th - 8th March 2020 with 150 campers and 16 PurpleCoats in attendance.
The idea was that campers would choose to become a Discworld citizen for the weekend and come on holiday to take part in such activities as Nobby's knee competitions, talent contests, fun sports day races, dragon racing, radio plays, witch trials and other fun activities.
The only stipulation was that campers could not be a named character in the books.
They could be one of Nanny Ogg's daughter in laws, or an ex husband of her's. They could be an unknown Watchman, or a vampire or a relative of Dibblers.
This would allow campers to truly become the character they decided to be as there would be no set ideas.
The PurpleCoat team then gathered campers into Discworld families and ran some crazy activities as they competed for Llamedos Dollars and points to become the Best Family of the event.
It was a wondrous event, filled with laughter and lots of mad shenanigans. It created lots of friendships and memories which were going to be needed in the very near future.
Unfortunately, just a week later the roundworld went into lockdown due to the Coronavirus. Several other Discworld events were cancelled as a result of the lockdowns worldwide.
Side Note. We were seriously fortunate to be able to run Llamedos Holiday Camp that first year, if Lockdown had happened a week earlier, it would have bankrupted the event and the camp director as insurance companies would not cover events being cancelled due to it. We are extremely grateful that no one caught Covid-19 from that first event.
From that moment on though, Llamedos Holiday Camp has had themed events that take place at the camp itself.. The plan was to run one every two years… However…
2021
Llamedos on the Clacks happened online due to the Lockdown still being in place on 5th-7th March 2021. It was a mixture of Llamedos Holiday Camp and fandom convention. Twenty seven hours of live television streamed to our campers via the omniscopes.
Mistress Weatherwax and Letice Earwig were the stars of our show Caged.
Our imps are currently uploading a lot of Llamedos On the Clacks to Youtube so if you missed it, or would like to watch it again, you can do so.
2022
Our next event was The Dragon Trials, 4th-6th March 2022.
The first Discworld event after the lockdowns had been lifted.
This event was based on the roundworld event Crufts - a famous large dog show, except our Dragon Trials were for Swamp Dragons!
Dragon Dressage, Dragon Flight and various other Dragon themed activities took place .
Campers were in Dragon Caverns, which were groups of dragon breeders who came to compete for Best in Show and the converted Best Dragon Cavern.
2024
The Scouts came to Llamedos Holiday Camp for the weekend of 1st-3rd March 2024.
The Llamedos Scout Jamboree was a huge success with the various Scout regions all being represented by our campers. The aim for the scouts was to earn all ten activity badges over the weekend.
Many of the usual Llamedos Holiday Camp activities remained as part of the programme but with a scouting twist.
Which brings us nicely to our next event.
2026
The Hogs Ball at Llamedos Holiday Camp will happen on the weekend of the 6th-8th March 2026. Exactly 6 years after the first Llamedos Holiday Camp!
The Hogs Ball at Llamedos Holiday Camp is based around families getting ready for Hogswatch, with the Ball being the big event.
Families will be working together to make a Hogswatch to remember…..
And our PurpleCoats will have to work out …. Have you been naughty? or nice?
As we don't want to spoil the surprises… That is all we are telling you.. for now.
What you need to know about The Hogs Ball at Llamedos Holiday Camp.
Location:
As is Tradition, The Hogs Ball at Llamedos Holiday Camp will happen at:
The Diplomat Hotel, Felinfoel Rd, Llanelli, Wales, SA15 3PJ
Note: There is ample free parking available at The Diplomat Hotel.
Dates:
Friday 6th March 2026 (registration is from 2pm, Dinner at 6.30pm Opening Ceremony at 8pm) until Sunday 8th March 2026 at Midnight.
There is usually a free pub quiz on Thursday evening created and hosted by Rincewind for those who choose to arrive early.
Ticket Prices:
To make things simple, we only have one price!
The cost for a ticket to The Hogs Ball is £155 per person.
There are only 150 tickets available.
Tickets go on sale on the 1st July at 6pm (British Summer Time).
Note: Rincewind is busy wrangling with hex and will soon have the 2026 website up and running. For now you can enjoy the Hogs Ball logo at llamedosholidaycamp.com
What is included in your ticket?
Your ticket includes:
Welcome Pack
Our Welcome Pack contains all the things you need to make your trip to the Llamedos Holiday Camp complete.
Everything from an activity book, to a programme of events is included with all the little knick knacks that will have Nanny Ogg happy for months! Also in your pack you will find your Llanyard and name badge which you must wear at all times.
Entertainment
All the entertainment is included in your ticket price, so you need not worry about any hidden costs. It also includes all Arts and Craft materials, free use of the games box and all the fun you can have together. You will have to bring your own costumes and there may be a few items that you will need to bring to take part fully in all the activities - the main ones being a sense of fun and the ability to throw yourself into everything!
Evening Meals
Friday Night and Saturday Night main meals are included in the cost of your ticket!
Dessert not included but available to purchase from the hotel.
The Chefs at the Llamedos Holiday Camp will be laying on holiday camp style catering for everyone.
You will need to inform us of any allergies or intolerances and whether you are vegetarian or vegan via the Guest Area of our website after you book your ticket.
And of course, last but by no means least…
The Hogs Ball Ticket
Our Hogs Ball on Sunday night is the most amazing way to end your time at Llamedos Holiday Camp and it is included in your ticket !
Dress up as your favourite Discworld character and enjoy the ambiance of the Costume Ball where you can dance the night away after a holiday camp meal and our closing ceremony! We expect to see Granny Weatherwax dressed up to the nines and Samuel Vimes as a member of the Fool's Guild! You are only limited by your imagination!
The Hogs Ball ticket includes your two course meal and is part of your Llamedos Holiday Camp ticket.
Accommodation
Unfortunately accommodation is not included in the ticket price.
We organise accommodation in two hotels for Llamedos Holiday Camp.
There are rooms available at The Diplomat Hotel and at our overflow hotel The Sessile Oak.
There is also the option to camp in your own tent on the lawn of The Diplomat Hotel. (breakfast at the hotel is included in per night price)
We also organise a transport pass, which allows you to use our Holiday Camp coach which picks up campers from The Sessile Oak at 9.30am on Sat and Sun, and a minibus service which does several pick ups on Friday and then returns Campers to The Sessile Oak on Fri, Sat and Sun night. This is an additional on off charge that would cover you for the weekend.
Accommodation prices will be announced in the next newsletter. Please do not contact either hotel as discounts and room allocations are done by our hotel team. We book out both hotels exclusively for our campers.
I think that's enough information for today.
Stay subscribed for Newsletter 02 which will be out sometime next Wednesday and will hopefully contain information about Hotel Rooms and some other stuff!
Until then..
Rwby
Camp Director at Llamedos Holiday Camp
#notacult