Christmas has fully arrived in Cardiff, from the Christmas market to Winter Wonderland, and the city is sparkling under a sea of twinkling lights. There are so many great events happening in the Welsh capital you might be wondering if you have left it too late to book anything.
The answer is ‘no’ as there are still some fab events and activities you can book in Cardiff for Christmas 2023. You can keep up to date with the latest What’s On news by signing up to the newsletter here.
So don’t worry if you haven’t made your reservations yet. Here are the Christmas activities you can still book in Cardiff.
READ MORE: All the Christmas 2023 events in Swansea you can still book tickets for
READ NEXT: How you can help our Christmas toy appeal 2023
Believe Santa experience
If you and your little ones want to meet Santa you don’t have to go further than St David’s Centre in Cardiff. Having changed from last year there will be a new story, theming, and family activities but, most importantly, children will still get to meet Santa.
On arrival guests to Believe will discover Santa’s enchanting post room where they’ll be immersed in festivity and fun with the mischievous elves as they sort through Santa’s letters from children around the world ready for the big day. Children will be able to decorate their own delicious Christmas gingerbread treats and capture Christmas cheer at the Elfie Selfie posting point before being invited to meet the big man himself.
Families will be hosted personally by Santa in his warm, cosy study where they can share their Christmas hopes and dreams and pose for professional photographs as well as receiving a special present to take home. Believe will open on Friday, December 1, and will be open until Christmas Eve.
The grotto will be located on the lower level of the Grand Arcade next to the Lego store and opposite Menkind. There are still many dates available to book Believe, other than Sunday, December 10, and Sunday, December 17. You can book your tickets here.
Cardiff Christmas Festival
This event, which will run from Friday, December 1, to Sunday, December 24, presents three live shows filled with family fun, jaw-dropping cabaret, and a Britain’s Got Talent choir. The shows will be performed in the ornate and intimate 550-seat Fortuna Spiegeltent in the beautiful surroundings of Sophia Gardens and promises to transport audiences to a nostalgic and magical world. Last year the shows were at Cardiff Castle.
Santa’s Wish and Castellana will be returning and a new show, Welsh of the West End, will also take place during this year’s festival and will see some of Wales’ top singers perform a one-off concert. So far only Welsh of the West End has sold out meaning you can still get tickets for Castellana, Santa’s Wish, The Christmas Cracker Comedy Night, and My My! Abba. You can buy your tickets here.
Christmas at Bute Park
Christmas at Bute Park is back for 2023 and it is bigger and better than ever. You can see first-look images of the stunning light trial and new installations include Unicorn Disco and Hiraeth.
Among the new additions is a brand new immersive light spectacular called Light of the Night created by award-winning designers at Squid Soup using 500 individually-suspended lit LED orbs to create a carefully choreographed harmony of light and sound. A magical Twilight Garden, a heavenly host of festive fireflies, a dazzling disco ball spectacular, and a whole lot more have also been added to the bill to offer visitors a fresh new string of sensory delights this year too.
The event is running until Monday, January 1, and there is still availability for all dates. You can book your tickets here.
Jac and the Beanstalk at the New Theatre
Running from Saturday, December 9, until Sunday, January 7, is Jac and the Beanstalk at Cardiff’s New Theatre. Follow Jac and climb a beanstalk of gigantic proportions to cloudland in the spectacular family pantomime Jac and the Beanstalk.
Lesley Joseph will lead the cast in this year’s family pantomime as The Spirit of the Beans. Alongside Lesley will be Mike Doyle as Dame Trot, comedian and impressionist Aaron James as Silly Simon, vocalist Denquar Chupak as the Princess, Steve Arnott as Fleshcreep, and musical theatre star Adam Bailey as Jac. There are still lots of dates you can book tickets to see the performance and you can book your tickets here.
Aladdin at Wales Millennium Centre
The Wales Millennium Centre Christmas show is Disney’s Aladdin. Featuring music by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice this production is filled with magic, comedy, and spectacle.
With special effects, more than 350 lavish costumes, and a live orchestra Aladdin features all the songs from the classic Academy Award-winning film including Friend Like Me, Arabian Nights, and A Whole New World. The show is running from Thursday, December 7, to Sunday, January 14, and there is still availability. However some dates in December are showing limited availability so you might want to be quick. You can book your tickets here.
Cardiff Santa Dash
Nothing says Christmas like seeing thousands of runners dressed up as Santa or elves. The event takes place in Cardiff Bay on Sunday, December 3, and the event begins at 11 am for registration and the race starts at 12pm. You can book to take part in the race here. Tickets are £10 per person or £30 for a group of four. Children under five go free and there are still places left to book onto the Santa Dash.
Ice bar at Winter Wonderland
The ice bar in Winter Wonderland is still available to book and has a very special theme this year. For 2023 the theme of the ice bar is Wales and upon entering the chilly temperatures, which reach minus 10 degrees, you should prepare to be amazed. Gareth Bale has been delicately carved into a huge slab of ice, you come face to face with an ice statue of a rugby player running right at you, and behind is the Wales Millennium Centre emboldened and shining in the ice. You can read more about the ice bar here.
Winter Wonderland and the ice bar is running until Sunday, January 7, and there is still availability. You can book here.
Curling at Tiger Yard
Tiger Yard in Cardiff Bay will be transformed into ‘Winter Wunder-Yard’ throughout November and December this year featuring dry ice curling. The outdoor food court has introduced 10 new lanes of dry ice curling in their backyard and you can read more here.
The curling will be undercover so won’t be affected by the weather and is available to book for £10 per person for 60 minutes. There are still slots you can book and you can book here.
