There are many reasons to be proud to be Welsh this week, from a nail biting and courageous performance by Cardiff City at Wembley against Liverpool to the triumph of the Welsh Rugby team at Twickenham, plus this Thursday is St David’s Day.
A jammed packed programme is planned in the city to celebrate Wales’ Patron Saint, with a special festival taking place from February 29 – March 4.
The highlight of the celebrations is the National St David’s Day Parade. Join in or watch the parade as it takes place in the heart of the city centre. Departing from City Hall at 12.30pm the parade will feature a colourful array of traditional costumes, musicians, carnival dancers and banners.
The parade will be led by ‘St David’ himself in period costume followed by the colourful banners of the Princes of Wales.
Also taking part will be Welsh fiddlers in traditional costume; representatives from the Football Association of Wales and other sports teams and community groups.
Also returning this year to the parade will be the Giants of Wales. Launched last year the giants are large models of well known Welsh faces. Last year’s figures of Dame Shirley Bassey and Owain Glyndwr will be joined by three new faces for 2012: Welsh singing legend Sir Tom Jones, Barry’s most famous resident Nessa from hit TV series Gavin and Stacey and Wales and Cardiff Blues star Gethin Jenkins.
Along with the parade, there are many more St David’s Day events taking place across the city.
The St David’s Day festival kicks off with Capital Cardiff, a conference for those helping to shape the future of Wales. The conference which will be held at City Hall on February 29 will provide the opportunity for entrepreneurs and leading business figures to share ideas.
St David’s Hall will host a St David’s Day Gala Concert with BBC NOW featuring an array of Welsh soloists and choirs all guaranteed to bring a joyful “hwyl” to the St David’s Day evening.
The Wales Millennium Centre (WMC) will also host the world famous Welsh National Opera during the festival with performances of The Marriage of Figaro and La Traviata. The WMC will also play host to a free music programme on the Glanfa Stage each day.
To celebrate all things Welsh a special craft market will also feature in the city centre, based on the Hayes from March 1 to March 4, offering an exciting range of local crafts and food.
There is plenty planned in Cardiff Central library, including pianist John Ap Evans who will be playing classic Welsh songs after the parade has finished outside the library.
There is a welsh themed Treasure Hunt for children to enjoy inside the library.
Over at the Welsh Tourist Information (TIC) in the Old Library there are also welsh events planned.
Visitors interested in picking up a few words of Welsh or practise their pronunciation are invited to join Tourist Information Officer Keith Barrett in Cornel Keith – Keith’s Corner – to learn a few essential phrases, including Rwy’n caru Caerdydd (I love Cardiff), Hwyl am y tro (‘Bye for now) and Iechyd da! (Cheers!).
The short, informal sessions are open to everyone – no previous knowledge of Welsh is expected – and will take place at the following times:
* Monday 27 February – 3pm
* Tuesday 28 February – 11am
* Thursday 1 March – 3pm
* Friday 2 March – 11am
On St David’s Day itself staff from Llanerch Vineyard will be showcasing their products in the TIC – the ideal opportunity to learn more about one of the region’s most distinctive attractions, and sample some of their tasty produce.
An unforgettable evening of music will also be delivered on March 3 by SWN and will feature a variety of Welsh bands all performing at The Globe.
Deputy Leader for Cardiff Council, Cllr Neil McEvoy, said: “There is plenty to do this St David’s Day to ensure we celebrate our Patron Saint in style.
“We are celebrating all that is good about Wales and every part of Welsh life and culture will be represented. Each year we are adding more and more to the programme of events to celebrate St David. This year promises to be one of the best celebrations yet and I hope the day will get bigger and better over time.
“I would encourage everyone to either take part or cheer on the parade as the colourful precession goes through the city centre.”
For more information about St David’s Day visit www.cardiff.gov.co.uk/stdavids or follow them on twitter @stdavidsdayCdf #cdfdaff
