Andy Jones , FOCUS Wales Cristina Fuentes La Roche Sarah Hemsley-Cole
“ The relationship with local authorities and the Welsh Government has changed a lot in the last few years and that ’ s been accelerated by Covid .”
Sŵn Festival CEO Guto Brychan and more broadly Wales , is the Principality Stadium . A study carried out in 2019 , to mark the venue ’ s 20th anniversary , found that since the stadium opened it had contributed £ 2.7bn in economic output and £ 1.95bn to the local economy .
Owned and operated by Welsh Rugby Union , the Principality Stadium ’ s forthcoming concerts include two shows by Stereophonics and Tom Jones in December , and three by Ed Sheeran in May . A major force behind the development of Cardiff as a significant events hub is the local council . Aside from launching the Cardiff Music Board , and working with partners to pack its venues such as Cardiff Castle and the Motorpoint with events , it continues to explore new ways to put the city firmly on the map .
Last year the council ’ s launch of the Cardiff Music City Festival was stalled by the pandemic .
The event was due to involve a group of partners , including Sŵn , who would curate activity as part of a two-week festival involving shows across the city at outdoor and indoor venues .
In September , Live Nation teamed with Cardiff Council to begin using Cardiff Bay for outdoor shows . It successfully staged a series of four 10,000-capacity events in September at Alexandra Head , with performers including Biffy Clyro and Nile Rogers . “ For a first-time event it went really well ,” says Blackhouse . “ It ’ s a council site and off the back of the shows the council is keen to explore doing it again and making it even bigger in future ”.
Heritage stages A media and communications agency based in Cardiff , Orchard Media & Events ’ live events division promotes around 150 shows per year , with the vast majority being in Wales .
Orchard Live MD Pablo Janczur describes the company as an “ unconventional group mixing live entertainment and the corporate world ”. Among the promoter ’ s forthcoming events are a series of weekends shows at Cardiff Castle featuring acts including Gerry Cinnamon and Jess Glynne , along with concerts by Olly Murs and Pete Tong & the Heritage Orchestra at the 15,000-capacity Stadiwm Zipworld in Colwyn Bay .
Janczur and his team regularly make use of the many heritage properties available to stage shows , including Cyfarthfa Castle at Merthyr Tydfil , Pembroke Castle in west Wales and Caerphilly Castle just north of Cardiff , as well as Cardiff Castle .
While Swansea and Cardiff are easily accessible , the promoter says that using spectacular venues helps encourage fans to venture further afield : “ Caerphilly , which is only 10 miles out of Cardiff , is quite difficult to reach because of a lack of public transport but people will make a real effort to get there because the castle is such an iconic venue .”
Some 40 miles west from Cardiff along the M4 , Swansea will see the launch of a new festival and new arena next year . The 40,000-capacity In It Together Festival , organised by Welsh promoters Escape Records , is set to debut on 3-5 June with
eight stages of entertainment at Newlands Farm in Port Talbot on the east side of Swansea Bay .
Operated by the Ambassador Theatre Group ( ATG ), the 3,500-capacity Swansea Arena is part of the Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District project , partfunded by the £ 1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal .
The venue ’ s general manager Lisa Mart says that following some test events in February , the venue will officially open in March . Among the acts already booked are John Bishop , Katherine Ryan and Alice Cooper .
“ Swansea currently has lots of great smaller music venues where musicians start building their careers , then you have top-end venues such as the Swansea . com Stadium [ cap . 21,000 ] and Singleton Park that host the big outdoor concerts , but what Swansea has never had is a midsize venue able to attract a steady flow of established acts to the city ,” says Mart .
As ATG prepares to open its first venue in the country , Mart says Wales is a great place to be : “ It is really an incredibly time to be part of what ’ s happening in Wales , especially in Swansea , all of the regeneration and investment that ’ s happening in the city means there ’ s a real feeling of positivity and optimism in the area .
“ As an operator that hasn ’ t been in Wales before we just felt so welcomed by everyone and there is a real sense of excitement . I think it ’ s a great time for Wales , it ’ s got so much potential .”
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