Winter Wonderland In Cardiff

Winter Wonderland In Cardiff

2023 Cardiff's Winter Wonderland is back and better than ever, running from 16th November 2023 to 2nd January 2024 and now split across several prestigious locations, means there's double the fun for everyone.

The return of Cardiff Winter Wonderland festive favourites include, their Ice Walk & Ice Skating, Big Wheel & other Fun Fair Attractions and not forgetting the Ice Bar & Alpine Lodge, its a perfect way to celebrate in the Welsh Capital.

This festive event transforms the city into a holiday paradise, visitors can indulge in seasonal treats and hot drinks, making it a perfect destination for families and friends.

The atmosphere is joyful and lively, with festive music and decorations all adding to the holiday spirit. It's a must-visit for anyone seeking a quintessential Christmas experience.

What is Welsh Games?

cardiff stag hen
Welsh Games Logo Mobile 2019

Welsh Games embraces all the stereotypes of South Wales in one great day out, comprising of 9 totally hilarious games suitable for all sorts of groups.

If you have an upcoming, Stag do, Hen Weekend, Birthday Party or Team Building Day, then why not give us a try?

Ice Skating & Ice Walk Cardiff Winter Wonderland

Ice Skating in Winter Wonderland Cardiff is a perfect way to spend some festive time with friends and family.

Its famous undercover Ice Rink, means that there's plenty of room for everyone, no matter what the weather!!

Located in the beautiful grounds of Cardiff Castle, with the Norman Keep as a backdrop, the wonderland Ice Walk provides an ideal opportunity to take advantage of all there is to see.

Entrance to the grounds are free, but activity sessions will need to be booked in advance.

Special events include; Skate and Sip, student Wednesday's, Skate and Groove, Disco on Ice. Accessible sessions run every week and some penguin help at hand for the little one's.

  • 23rd November 2023 to 2nd January 2024

  • Opens 11:00am & Closes 22:00pm

  • Cardiff Castle, Castle St, Cardiff, CF10 3RB

  • Kids £11.50 / Adults £13.50 / Family of 4 £42.50

winter wonderland cardiff ice skating

Cardiff Ice Bar at The Winter Wonderland

Chhhiiiiiillllllllll out at Cardiff's hottest NO coolest!! place to drink over the festive season. Located on the City Hall Lawn, The Ice Bar is Winter Wonderland's central spot, making it an ideal place to grab a drink and experience the sub-zero temperatures along with friends and family.

Entrance to The Ice Bar needs to be pre-booked online and allotted sessions last 35 minutes, but considering the average room temperature is a chilly -10 degrees, this is probably enough!!

Thermal overcoat hire is included in the price, but warm clothes and gloves are a must. See website for full details and more FAQ's.

  • 23rd November to 14th December

  • Opens 11:00am & Closes 22:00pm

  • Cardiff Castle, Castle St, Cardiff, CF10 3RB

  • Peak - £15.00 Off Peak - £12.00

ice bar cardiff winter wonderland

Cardiff's Christmas Festival

Delighted to be back and in its new location, the Christmas Festival has moved from Cardiff Castle to Sophia Gardens. With three super shows on offer and all in the unique setting of the Spiegeltent, it's time to get booking.

What's a Spiegeltent? A spiegeltent is Dutch for 'Mirror tent' and it is a large travelling tent, constructed from wood, canvas, leaded glass and velvet brocade.

Its the ultimate cabaret and music venue. Originally built in the 19th and early 20th century, only a handful exist, and each have their own style, personality and Name.

The Fortuna, owned by Dutch Company Van Rosmalen is one of the best and has hosted some of the world's greatest performances, so this is a wonderful opportunity to to be one of those lucky people.

Shows on offer

SANTA'S WISH

A heartwarming family musical adventure in which Snowflake the Elf will need to come up with a clever plan to save Christmas, Do the magical wish jars have the answer?

  • Friday 1st Dec - Sunday 21st Dec 2023

  • Sophia Gardens, Cardiff CF11 9XR

  • From £16.87

CASTELLANA

After it's debut last year, this new show promises to bring a jaw-dropping performance of ariel thrills, magicians, and shapeshifters. This burlesque, cabaret and comedy, is sure to amaze all those under its spell and provide all onlookers with a magical Christmas night.

  • 6 Dec 2023 - 24 Dec 2023

  • Sophia Gardens, Cardiff CF11 9XR

  • From £28.12

cardiff christmas lights

WELSH OF THE WEST END AT CHRISTMAS

The Welsh West End, brings five extremely talented performers from shows such as Wicked, Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera for this one-night-only spectacular piece of musical theatre.

  • Sunday 17th Dec 2023

  • Sophia Gardens, Cardiff CF11 9XR

  • From £ SOLD OUT

christmas shows in cardiff

Cardiff Winter Wonderland Shows

SHREK THE MUSICAL

Taken from the Oscar winning DreamWorks film, the Broadway and West End smash hit Shrek the Musical is a fun filled and hilarious musical comedy with a cast of vibrant characters and offers a shrektacular show.

  • Mon 20th Nov 2023 – Sat 25th Nov 2023

  • Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff, CF10 5AL

  • From £17.50

ALLADIN

This extraordinary piece of theatre is sure to take you to a whole new world, with music by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice. This experience is sure to provide some unforgettable magic

  • Thurs 7th Dec 2023 – Sun 14th Jan 2024

  • Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff, CF10 5AL

  • From £20.00

JACK & THE BEANSTALK

This classic tale is lead by Lesley Joseph, alongside panto Dame extraordinaire Mike Doyle, comedian Aaron James, Denquar Chupak.

This fantastic family pantomime offers all the wonder you would expect from such a classic production.

  • Sat 9th Dec 2023 – Sun 7th Jan 2024

  • Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff, CF10 5AL

  • From £24.50

cardiff christmas shows

PETER PAN

This adaptation of J M Barrie's classic tale of Peter Pan, flies in to Cardiff and promises offer a spectacular extravaganza of entertainment. This big budget panto place a new spin on this timeless tale, with Boy George as Captain Hook!

  • Sat 9th Dec 2023 – Sun 10th Dec 2023

  • Utilita Arena Cardiff, Mary Ann St, Cardiff, CF10 2EQ

  • From £27.15

Cardiff Christmas Market

Cardiff Christmas Market, is one of the festive highlights in Wales, as the city centre transforms into a winter wonderland. This annual event showcases a large array of exhibitors, featuring local artisans and businesses, making it a hub for unique gifts and holiday decorations.

The market's wide streets and charming wooden stalls, adorned with twinkling lights and holiday decorations, creates a picturesque and inviting atmosphere. Visitors can explore a variety of handcrafted items, from intricate jewellery and ceramics to bespoke artworks.

The aroma of seasonal treats like mulled wine and freshly baked mince pies fills the air, adding to the market's vibrant and joyful ambiance. Live music performances and festive workshops further enrich the experience, making Cardiff Christmas Market a beloved destination for both locals and tourists seeking the spirit of the holiday season.

Cardiff's Christmas Market this year is located in St John Street, Working Street, Trinity Street and Hills Street. For further details see below

  • 9th Nov 2023 - 23rd Dec 2023

  • Working St, Cardiff, CF10

  • Free

cardiff christmas lights

Cardiff Christmas Lights

Cardiff City Centre will be dressed in it's festive finery and the lights switched on the evening of Thursday 16th November, to coincide with the opening of Cardiff's Winter Wonderland.

But if your looking for something truly spectacular, then you will need to wait until Friday 24th November, when the sell out CHRISTMAS AT BUTE PARK returns.

Bute parks sell out light trail, is back for its 3rd year and ready to wow the crowds from the 24th of November. Already the most successful light trail outside of London, this premier light experience offers enchanting illuminations, immersive LED orbs and all are brought to together to the sound of music.

  • 24th Nov 2023 - 1st January 2024

  • Bute Park, North Rd, Cardiff CF10 3ER

  • From £19.50 Adults / £13.95 Kids / Under 2's for free

The Ultimate Best Mans Guide

The Ultimate Best Man’s Guide

You knew it might be coming, you just didn’t know when. So you your best mate has kindly asked you to be his Best Man for the wedding, and now expects you to arrange an all-guns-blazing stag do that will give him the time of his life on his last night of freedom. No pressure then.

Fear not, our Ultimate Best Man’s Guide will help navigate your way through the mother of all to do lists and set you up for the greatest stag do known to man or beast.

What is Welsh Games?

cardiff stag hen
Welsh Games Logo Mobile 2019

Welsh Games embraces all the stereotypes of South Wales in one great day out, comprising of 9 totally hilarious games suitable for all sorts of groups.

If you have an upcoming, Stag do, Hen Weekend, Birthday Party or Team Building Day, then why not give us a try?

Best Man Guide

Finding your feet

A good sit down session in the pub with the groom always makes a good start. Try to glean as much information as possible. What dates suit his availability and are a safe distance before the wedding (remember, eye brows need some time to grow back)? How long does he want to be away for? What style of weekend is he expecting? What sort of activities would he like to do?

You will also need to know who on the invite list are his best friends and must be accommodated to ensure attendance. Therefore, it’s always best to find out two or three weekends you are both free to attend the stag.

Remember, you will always want to keep plenty up your sleeve for the weekend, so this is an information finding process only. It’s always a lot more fun to keep the destination secret, but this may not suit him so find out his expectations during the chat.

You will also need a full invite list (with email addresses and phone numbers).

Who’s coming then?

It’s now time to fire off an email to find out who is available and willing to attend. You need some firm commitment from the group to make things easier for the organisation that will come later, so you may want to consider your wording to ensure you do not receive too many “maybe” responses. It may be worth offering two or three dates and going with the majority.

Best Man Guide

Time constraints, Budget & Destination

You will need to consider the group’s likely budget and time constraints. There’s no point in organising a week-long trip to Vegas if only 4 from 20 people sign up. So it may be worth proposing a first option and see who is keen to attend, before then re-evaluating if necessary.

But whatever you do, don’t give the group too many options or you’ll get just as many wide ranging opinions in reply. Many people who have organised these things before will tell you: keep it simple!

When considering destination, always think of logistics for each attendee. You won’t be a popular man if a large number of the stag’s mates cannot attend because they are too far from the proposed destination.

Accommodation

Once you’ve decided on your destination, it’s now time to organise some suitable accommodation. You might want to consider hotels, cottages, glamping, camping. Hotels are often the easiest option.

If people drop out over the coming months then it’s a lot easier to reduce the number of hotel rooms than to ask the whole group to contribute more towards a 14 bed cottage when only 10 can attend come final payment.

Best Man Guide

Activity

Once you’ve nailed the destination and accommodation, it now time to turn your attention to a Saturday activity. The expectation on most stag weekends is to take part in some form of fun filled activity.

It’s important to consider an activity that is likely to appeal to most people, and to do something that people have not done before. Paintballing is good fun, but may be a bit dull if 80% of your group have already done it on another stag do. So be original and you’ll make it a weekend to remember.

Packages

To take the pressure off, you may want to organise the entire weekend as a package through another company. The benefits of booking a package are plentiful when you think of all these inclusions:

  • Allocation on hotels meaning instant confirmation upon booking
  • Individual payment system – this means that you don’t need to collect money from the group, they just pay their share directly saving you all that annoying chasing
  • VIP nightclub entryLap dance club entry
  • Additional activities – add on a second activity you may not have thought of yourself
  • Private dining
  • Restaurants suitable to groups
  • VIP Casino entry
  • Only a £50 deposit to pay initially
Best Man Guide
Final Thoughts

So just to recap, here is your Best Man’s Stag Weekend to do list. Don’t be too overwhelmed by being the Best Man, after all it’s a real honour of the lasting friendship you’ve made!

To Do List

  • Speak to the Stag and find out who he wants to attend, what he expects from the stag weekend and potential dates.
  • Find out how many people will be on the stag do and their level of commitment
  • Decide on a destination based on time restraints, budget and logistics
  • Ensure everything is booked for the stag do from, accommodation to activities.
  • Book as a package through an outside company if you’re short on time and want to take the pressure off yourself. Try and do this as early on as possible to get the best deals and availability
  • Look after the stag over the course of the weekend – remember you’ll have the Bride to answer to if you really mess things up!
  • Enjoy your best mate’s last night of freedom!