Christmas in Cardiff

Personally, my favourite thing about Christmas has always been seeing how a city completely transforms for the festive season. Being from Leeds, I was always excited for the night that all the lights in the city centre would turn on. It was like a wonderful winter festival and the perfect way to start the festivities. So, I was extremely excited when I found out that Cardiff does NOT skip out on that!

To begin my Christmas festivities in Cardiff, I decided to check out the Christmas Winter Trail which is an immersive way to experience the commencement of Christmas in Cardiff for free. Trail maps were made available to the public the morning of the trail (which started at around 6pm this year). There is a tick-box list of different spots around the city centre where you can see the beauty and creativity of the Christmas lights.

The first night of the trail was like a mini festival. We saw some amazing showcases and street performances dotted all around the centre. We watched the Children's Choir perform a super sweet rendition of “A Million Dreams" and it was the cutest thing ever! They really made everyone feel so warm and cozy inside which was perfect to begin the season.

After staying for the performances, my partner and I decided to visit one last point of the trail, the Cardiff Central train station - we probably should've started there since it was number 1 on the map and we realised that we missed performances by not starting there (learn from our mistake for next year!). However, on the way, we managed to see some cool street performers dressed up in all white and a spectacular Christmas projection on the outside of the train station!

I really wanted to check out Cardiff's Winter Wonderland, so we went on another day. It's safe to say, I was not disappointed! The decorations were spectacular and walking through it made me feel like I was a character in one of those cheesy Christmas movies - I felt totally immersed in the festive spirit!

There is so much to do, see and EAT at Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland. If you're a little bit more adventurous than I am, you can book to enjoy the ice-skating rink which is available both open air or undercover (indoors) OR if you're all for the warm, cozy and less risky vibe, you can enjoy the marshmallow toasting. A stick of marshmallows was only £5 and toasting it was completely free.

We then spotted the Yorkshire Pudding stall and being a Yorkshire girl, I couldn't resist! It was only £10 for a Yorkshire Pudding wrap which was so filling and delicious - it was like a Christmas roast dinner stuffed into a massive Yorkshire Pudding! It was great to see all the different varieties of food and drink and the best part about it for me was the beautiful, rustic Alpine inspired bar in the middle of the Wonderland where we could go to enjoy our food in the warmth with cozy seating - it was lovely to see everyone in there with high spirits just enjoying themselves!

That was how my partner and I started our festivities in Cardiff, but it doesn't end there for us! We are so excited to check out the other Christmas themed experiences that Cardiff has to offer in the next few weeks (yes there's more!). We've already planned to take a stroll through Bute Park to see the immersive light trail (tickets are only £23.50 per person) and we can't wait to enjoy the Churros (a MUST at Christmas time, in my opinion) at the Christmas Village, along with all the other grub they have to offer!