Cardiff's festivals are increasingly contributing to its development as a major tourist attraction. As most of them are concentrated in the summer months, it is ideal to visit then to make sure that you experience all the attractions and the festivals as an added bonus. Unlike Edinburgh, Cardiff is still pretty cost effective during the summer months so its ideal for those who don't want to go all out!
Cardiff Children's Festival is held in the grounds of Cardiff Castle each year, and hosts a number of events, exhibitions and play areas for children. Entry is usually free.
Cardiff Mela Annual event usually held in Roald Dahl Plas, Cardiff Bay.
St David's Day Parade a parade held on St David's Day the patron saint of Wales (March 1st), every year. Something different so its worth a look.
The Big Weekend is probably the most participated of Cardiff's festivals as hundreds of thousands of people dawn the city hall area to witness the carnival theme events and fun fair atmosphere. Usually on last weekend of July.
Cardiff Mardi Gras is one of the UK's biggest gay and lesbian festivals, held every year in the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The 2011 event will take place on 4th September.
The Welsh Proms This series of classical concerts takes place at St David's Hall each July. The festival now includes 'Fringe' events, with genres of music from jazz and country to chamber music, folk and jazz.
Metro Weekender 2007 will be the second year this new festival has visited Cardiff. Held in Coopers field beside the castle grounds on the August bank holiday, it was a 20,000 sell out in 2006
Winter Wonderland in December/January sees an outdoor ice-rink and funfair set up in front of City Hall, open early 'til late to the public.
The Welsh Boat Race is the highlight of the Welsh Universities Rowing Calendar, although far from as established as the long running Oxbridge equivalent. Usually held in late April, the race between Cardiff and Swansea Universities alternates between the River Taff in Cardiff, and River Tawe in Swansea. The current holders of the Blue Ribband mens event are Swansea University.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cardiff
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cardiff - updated Apr 2024
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Cardiff Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
