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The Tafia is an expatriate Welsh group that was formed in Chicago in 1999. As one of the youngest and consequently the most contemporary Welsh groups in North America, they are well-known to provide a real link to the present culture of Wales to the Chicago area.
The group’s activities are varied with social get-together s to watch Welsh sporting events and musicians in addition to the typical cultural events such as St. David's Day. That is not to say that the traditional elements of Welsh culture are taken for granted by the group, over the years they have been involved with over a dozen concerts for Welsh male voice choirs in the Chicago area, including the Pendyrus, Penrhyn, Bangor, Black Mountain, Burlington and CF1 choirs at prominent Chicago venues.
In 2007 the group scored a double hit by attracting the former lead singer of Catatonia, Cerys Matthews to entertain the group at their annual St. David’s Day party and also the passing of Illinois General Assembly signing into law Bill HR0149 that proclaimed March 1, 2007, and each year thereafter, as St. David's Day in the State of Illinois and recognizing the Welsh contribution to the state.
In 2009, 2010 & 2011 The Chicago Tafia partnered with the British Consulate-General in Chicago and Colliers B&K to illuminate the iconic Wrigley Building red, white, and green (the colours of the Welsh flag) on Saint Davids Day on Sunday, March 1.