The coronation of the new King is fast approaching with street parties and events being held all across the country to mark the big day. With a bank holiday to look forward to as well, there's plenty going on all across Wales with picnics and food festivals throughout the weekend.
In Cardiff King Charles III's coronation is being live streamed at the castle on Saturday, May 6, with live streaming of the concert celebrations taking place in Cardiff Bay on Sunday, May 7. On top of the live screenings a picnic for families will also be held at the castle with activities and themed entertainment to keep everyone amused.
For those looking for something else to do over the coronation weekend the Foodies Festival will also be taking place in Bute Park from Saturday, May 6m to Monday, May 8. The event will feature live cooking demonstrations and music from Scouting for Girls and Toploader. Here is everything you need to know about the coronation events in Cardiff this weekend.
READ MORE: King Charles coronation 2023 in Wales: Key dates, events and plans to celebrate
Coronation Service and Gun Salute - Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle will be hosting a public event on Saturday, May 6, to mark the coronation of King Charles III. There will be a screening of the coronation service including a royal gun salute. The event is free to enter and no tickets are required.
The grounds of the castle will host a big screen for visitors to watch the service between the hours of 9.30am and 2.30pm as well as the processions to and from Westminster Abbey. An official gun salute will take place at the castle as part of a network of gun salutes taking place across the country as the new King is crowned.
104 Regiment Royal Artillery, Regimental Mascots from The Royal Welsh and The 1st Queens Dragoon Guards with a Quarter Guard, Welsh Guards and the Regimental Band and Corps of Drums of the Royal Welsh will be in attendance, along with representatives from The Royal Navy and The Royal Airforce.
Right Royal Picnic - Cardiff Castle
As part of the Coronation Big Lunch taking place across the UK Cardiff Castle is hosting the Right Royal Picnic for families on Sunday, May 7. Taking place between 12pm and 4pm families can pack a picnic and head down to the castle for an afternoon of activities and entertainment.
The event is free to attend with no booking required and festivities will include a programme of live music, craft activities, and 'themed walkabout entertainment'. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own picnic or make use of the castle's café, which sells a variety of sandwiches, paninis, jacket potatoes, and cakes as well as hot drinks and alcohol.
Anyone attending these two free public events, or using the public square in the castle grounds will also be able to access the Norman Keep free of charge over the weekend. Discounted tickets will also be offered for those wishing to explore the rest of the castle. You can find prices and book tickets here.
The Coronation Big Lunch
In addition to the picnic being held at Cardiff Castle as part of this wider event the Coronation Big Lunch will be held by communities across the city on Sunday, May 7. The bunting is already out in some places as local communities host street parties across Cardiff to celebrate the coronation. The council says that 44 residential road closures across the city have been facilitated to enable neighbours to come together to enjoy the occasion.
The Coronation Concert - Cardiff Bay
On Sunday, May 7, you can head to Cardiff Bay for an official relay of the Coronation Concert. Cardiff Bay has been selected to host the relay and take part in a synchronised light show among other select locations in the UK.
Taking place between 7.30pm and 11pm at Roald Dahl Plass you can watch the concert on a big screen broadcast live from Windsor Castle. The centrepiece of the big event will be Lighting up the Nation where locations across the UK will be animated with an immersive high-tech light show experience.
As part of the event a display of drones will illuminate the Cardiff night sky above the Wales Millennium Centre as the building comes to life. Like the events at Cardiff Castle the public event is free to enter and no tickets are required.
Foodies Festival - Bute Park
The Foodies Festival will be taking place from Saturday, May 6, to Monday, May 8, with events each day starting from 12pm. The festival is open from 11am until 8.30pm and, with live music, street food, pop-up bars, and cookery events, there will be plenty to entertain the family over the weekend. Tickets for the event can be bought for a day or the full weekend. More ticketing information, including prices, can be found here.
Music line-up
On Saturday Toploader will be headlining at 7pm with Callum Beattie as the support act at 5.30pm. Also appearing on the music stage on Saturday are Concrete Prairie, Taynee Lord & The Crookes, Hollie Ann Clark, Bowen, Chris Ostler, and Jessie Dipper.
Scouting for Girls will be headlining on Sunday, taking to the stage at 8pm. The Session Band, Galaxy Thief, De Stijl, The Session Band, Rock of The Pops, Caitlin Mae And The Band, and Ben Hutcheson will also be performing on Sunday.
The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show will headline on Monday at 6pm. The Vi5ion, Macy, Lyra, Palmerston, James Jones, and Jessie Dipper will also take to the stage on the final day of the festival. Full details of the line-up and when each performer will take to the stage can be found here.
Chefs
Some big-name chefs will be appearing at the La Española Chefs Theatre and the Cake and Bake tents over the weekend showcasing their favourite recipes. There will be live cooking demonstrations from champions and stars of MasterChef, Great British Bake Off, and Great British Menu as well as top-rated Michelin-starred and award-winning chefs.
Some of those making an appearance in the tents include Lee Skeet from Cora, Andrew Minto, the winner of Bake Off: The Professionals, Tommy Heaney from Heaneys in Cardiff, Anand George from The Purple Poppadom, and James and Georgia Sommerin of the Michelin-starred restaurant Home. The full timings of when cookery demonstrations are taking place inside the tents can be seen here.
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