Events & Venues in South East Wales
SOUTH EAST WALES contains the greatest concentration of major event venues in Wales, but its events story stretches far beyond Cardiff.
The capital naturally provides the biggest stadiums, arenas, theatres and international sporting occasions, while Newport has developed its own strong events offering and the wider region brings in racecourses, castles, country parks, cultural centres, festivals, heritage settings and community celebrations.
From an international rugby weekend beneath the closed roof of the Principality Stadium to concerts in historic surroundings, cricket at Sophia Gardens, ice hockey in Cardiff Bay, racing at Chepstow and performances in theatres and arts centres across the region, there is enormous variety within a relatively compact part of Wales.
Ewegottalove’s Events & Venues in South East Wales will concentrate on the places and occasions with particular regional or national significance, while our Blog provides the latest previews, listings and event information.
Cardiff — Wales’ Major Events Capital
Few British cities place major events quite so close to their centre as Cardiff.
The Principality Stadium sits only a short walk from Cardiff Central station and is the home of Welsh international rugby as well as one of the country’s principal venues for major concerts and occasional other sporting spectaculars. Its retractable roof has helped give it a reputation for creating one of the most intense big-event atmospheres in Wales.
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Just a few miles away, Cardiff City Stadium is home to Cardiff City FC and regularly stages Wales international football.
Cricket has its own major stage at Sophia Gardens, home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club and an established international cricket venue.
Cardiff Bay adds another sporting venue through the home of the Cardiff Devils, while major boxing, darts and other indoor sporting occasions can also appear on the programme at the city’s arena.
Sport, however, is only one part of Cardiff’s events appeal.
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Theatre, Music & Entertainment
The Wales Millennium Centre is one of the country’s landmark cultural buildings and a major home for musical theatre, opera, dance, comedy and other live performance.
In the city centre, the New Theatre has entertained Cardiff audiences since 1906 and continues to attract touring drama, musicals, dance, comedy, family entertainment and its traditional pantomime.
The Utilita Arena Cardiff provides a very different experience, attracting major names in music and comedy as well as indoor sport, exhibitions and other large-scale events.
Cardiff also has an important network of smaller and medium-sized venues. Tramshed, housed in a former tram depot, has established itself as a popular live music and entertainment venue, while Clwb Ifor Bach occupies an important place in the city’s independent music scene and in Welsh-language culture. Chapter Arts Centre, Sherman Theatre, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and Cardiff University’s Great Hall broaden the choice still further.
This variety is important to the Ewegottalove approach. A significant Welsh venue does not necessarily have to seat tens of thousands of people.
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Events Beyond Traditional Venues
Some of Cardiff’s most interesting events happen somewhere that was never primarily intended to be an entertainment venue.
Cardiff Castle regularly provides a spectacular setting for outdoor concerts and other events, while parks and open spaces can become temporary major-event locations during the summer.
Cardiff Bay provides another natural focus for public events, festivals and celebrations, while museums, university buildings and civic spaces regularly host specialist gatherings, exhibitions and cultural activities.
This flexibility is one of the strengths of the city’s events scene.
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Newport & the East
Newport provides the second major urban focus for events in South East Wales.
The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre gives the city a focal point for theatre, comedy, music, dance, family entertainment and community arts.
Close by at Celtic Manor, ICC Wales provides one of Wales’ most important purpose-built conference and convention spaces, capable of attracting major business, political, cultural and specialist gatherings to the region.
Large events do not always require a conventional arena either. Newport and its surrounding area have hosted sporting events, festivals and outdoor occasions using parks, civic spaces and specialist facilities.
Further east, Chepstow Racecourse is one of the most significant sporting venues in Wales, best known for horse racing but also capable of hosting other major gatherings and entertainment.
Monmouthshire’s castles, country estates and historic landscapes provide another strand of event location altogether.
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The Valleys
The South Wales Valleys bring a different character to the regional events picture.
Historic theatres, arts centres, leisure venues, parks and civic buildings provide important cultural hubs, while annual festivals and community celebrations often draw strongly on the individual identity of their towns.
Caerphilly Castle demonstrates how one of Wales’ great historic monuments can also provide a dramatic backdrop for public events.
Across Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly and neighbouring areas, outdoor spaces and heritage locations create opportunities for concerts, festivals, sporting events and seasonal celebrations.
This is an area we intend to develop carefully rather than attempting to catalogue every local event.
The best stories will earn their place.
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The Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale provides still another events landscape.
Barry, Penarth, Cowbridge and the surrounding coast and countryside support community festivals, arts events, food events, sporting occasions and seasonal celebrations, while parks, coastal spaces and historic buildings can become venues in their own right.
For Ewegottalove, the Vale is particularly useful in illustrating the difference between an established permanent venue and an event location.
A beach, pier, country park or town centre may host only a handful of significant occasions each year, but those events can become an important part of the identity of the place.
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Some of South East Wales’ Key Venues
Rather than trying to produce an exhaustive directory, these are among the venues we expect to feature prominently as this Events & Venues section develops:
Principality Stadium — international rugby, major concerts and landmark sporting events.
Wales Millennium Centre — one of Wales’ principal performing arts venues.
Cardiff City Stadium — professional and international football.
Sophia Gardens — Glamorgan cricket and international cricket.
Utilita Arena Cardiff — concerts, comedy, indoor sport and major entertainment.
New Theatre Cardiff — traditional theatre, touring productions, comedy and family entertainment.
Cardiff Castle — historic landmark and major outdoor event setting.
Vindico Arena — Cardiff Devils professional ice hockey and ice-based events.
Tramshed — live music, entertainment and specialist events.
Chapter Arts Centre — film, theatre, arts and independent cultural programming.
Sherman Theatre — contemporary theatre and performance.
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama — concerts, theatre and performance.
The Riverfront, Newport — theatre, arts and community events.
ICC Wales — major conferences, conventions and exhibitions.
Chepstow Racecourse — horse racing and large outdoor events.
Caerphilly Castle — heritage setting used for selected major events.
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Major Annual Events
South East Wales’ permanent venues are complemented by events that return year after year.
International rugby brings huge crowds into Cardiff through the winter and spring, while international football provides major occasions at different points of the year.
Summer traditionally brings a concentration of concerts, outdoor performances and festivals, while autumn and winter introduce another cycle of theatre, indoor entertainment, sporting events, Christmas attractions and seasonal celebrations.
The region also hosts recurring food and drink festivals, cultural festivals, music events, race meetings, charity occasions, specialist conventions and community celebrations.
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Something Different
Not every event that attracts our attention will be enormous.
Comic conventions, collectors’ fairs, card shows, gaming events, food festivals, unusual sporting challenges and specialist exhibitions can attract highly committed audiences while receiving relatively little coverage elsewhere.
These are exactly the sort of occasions we want Events & Venues to notice.
The same applies to longstanding local traditions.
An event does not need a stadium-sized attendance to tell an interesting Welsh story.
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Planning Around an Event
A major event can also provide the starting point for discovering somewhere new.
Visitors coming to Cardiff for rugby might extend their trip into the Vale of Glamorgan. Someone attending an event at ICC Wales could explore Newport or Monmouthshire. A day at Chepstow Racecourse might become part of a wider visit to the Wye Valley and surrounding area.
As Events & Venues develops, we will increasingly link these pages with Stay in Wales, Around Wales, food and drink, attractions, transport and other useful parts of Ewegottalove.
The event may be what brings somebody to Wales.
We would like to give them reasons to stay a little longer.
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What’s On Now?
Events programmes change constantly, which is why this page deliberately avoids becoming a dated listings service.
For current concerts, sporting occasions, festivals, exhibitions and weekend ideas across South East Wales, visit the Ewegottalove Blog.
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Did Ewe Know?
Cardiff’s ability to stage huge events right in the heart of the city is relatively unusual. The Principality Stadium sits within easy walking distance of the main railway station, shopping streets, Cardiff Castle and much of the city-centre hospitality district — one reason major event days can seem to transform the whole centre rather than simply filling a stadium.