Colors of Cardiff - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Cardiff is well known far beyond the borders of the country not only because of a large number of various attractions, but thanks to its vibrant cultural life. Each year the city hosts many interesting and unique festivals, each of which definitely deserves attention of curious travelers. Summer months are particularly rich in holidays. During this period the city is always visited by many tourists from other countries.

Cardiff Castle is the most famous sight of the city. During many years the castle has remained the permanent venue for Children's Festival. This festival includes a wide range of cultural and recreational activities. Children are welcome to attend funny game competitions, theatrical and musical performances, fairs and educational lectures. Moreover, the entrance to all events is absolutely free.

St. David's Day is an interesting national holiday, which is celebrated on March 1. St. David is considered the patron saint of Wales, so on the day of the feast locals organize parades and noisy celebrations that last until dark. Music fans usually enjoy visiting “The Welsh Proms” festival that takes place in July. During the festival visitors are welcome to attend concerts of classical music, performances by famous jazz bands and musicians of other popular music styles. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In winter the city also hosts several interesting festivals, the most famous of which is called “Winter Wonderland”. The square in front of the town hall is known as the main venue for the celebration. In late December a large skating rink is made here, and a special Christmas market works every day. Visitors will be delighted with an excellent entertainment program - concerts, performances for children, funny competitions and festive dishes tasting are the essential attributes of this popular festival.

Cardiff will not disappoint fans of sport as in the end of April the city hosts an important event - boat racing between the teams of young athletes. Describing other holidays that may interest travelers, we simply cannot fail to mention Mela Festival and the festival with an unusual name, One great weekend, which is held on the last weekend of July.

It is important to mention the national character of local people, their culture and language. Some indigenous people speak Welsh (also known as the Cymric language), which is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. That being said, tourists shouldn’t mistake Cymric for Welsh English. The latter is just a dialect of English spoken by Welsh people, but Cymric has nothing in similar with the usual English. Because of this, a visit to Cardiff is an excellent vacation for everyone who wants to get acquainted with native speakers of Celtic languages.

Local people are famous for their honesty. There was a street social experiment organized by a group of British journalists, in which an actor was leaving his wallet in public areas on purpose. Residents of the capital of Wales returned the wallet in 100% of cases. Stability and usual lifestyle are very important to them. Irresponsibility is one of the most hated features here, so when making a promise to a resident of Cardiff, it is important to be sure that you can accomplish it. There is an opinion that local people are not very social and do not like communicating with others. However, this is nothing but a stereotype – residents of the capital of Wales simply don’t like idle talks and are a bit reserved. But when there is a discussion about an interesting subject, they change completely and become very talkative.

Tafwyl is a two-day festival that is one of the most popular events to get acquainted with the local culture. It takes place in the midst of summer, at the end of June. Of course, it is an open-air event because it would be wrong to stay inside and sweat in a stuffy venue. Tafwyl takes place in Cardiff Castle, the main landmark of the capital of Wales. During the festival, it becomes the noisiest place in the city. The schedule includes Tafwyl Fair and music concerts, but these are not all attractions that the festival can offer to its guests. Specifically for this event, local breweries prepare a special festive beer called Cwrw Tafwyl. By the way, this festival is a great place to see people speaking Cymric.

Cardiff hosts several festivals dedicated to food and drinking. First of all, this is Cardiff Coffee Festival, which is held at the end of May. This is the time when Portland House offers everyone to enjoy the fabulous taste of coffee, learn more about the secrets of making Welsh coffee, and try various desserts that local people traditionally consume with the refreshing drink. Kids will be super pleased to attend the Ice Cream Festival that takes place on the central streets of the city at the beginning of August. As it is not hard to guess, this event is all about sampling delicious ice cream. Travelers who visit the city at the end of July will be able to attend another interesting event, Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival that takes place at Roald Dahl Plass. This is the right place to try local cuisine and participate in master classes, learning a lot of interesting information about cooking popular food of the region.

In Cardiff, there are also several events dedicated to alcoholic beverages. For example, Gin vodka Festival (it takes place in Cardiff City Hall at the beginning of June), Rum Festival (the event usually takes place in The Tramshed Nightclub in the middle of June), and Cardiff Oktoberfest (just like the namesake event in Germany, this beer festival is held in the middle or at the end of September, and is located in Roald Dahl Plass). Manufacturers from all over the world offer their products at this event, but, of course, local producers get the most attention. Besides a gastronomic program, Cardiff Oktoberfest offers an interesting music program. This is the time when traditional Bavarian music is played in Cardiff.

The capital of Wales is rich in music festivals. For example, Burning Lantern Fayre is one of the most popular events in the region. For visitors, it is a wonderful opportunity to listen to music of different genres. There is also a special fair that works only during this festival. It is a great place to shop for unique items. The popular event takes place at St. Fagans National Museum of History in the middle of September. Inside Out Festival is another very interesting event dedicated to music. It is an open-air festival that brings together all music fans in picturesque Bute Park. The last but not the least, HUB Festival is a must for everyone who wants to listen to local music bands and performers. This music event starts at the end of September and traditionally takes place on the central streets of the city (Cardiff Castle district).