Reindeer on the loose in Cardiff Bay for festive trail
This festive season the Christmas magic will return to Cardiff Bay once again with the Cardiff Bay Reindeer Trail, organised by the Cardiff Bay Waterfront Partners.
Providing free festive fun for all the family, this year Santa has lost nine of his reindeer and needs help tracking them down in the ultimate scavenger hunt.
The Cardiff Bay Reindeer Trail will be open to the public from Saturday 30 November 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025, and will take participants on a festive journey through Cardiff Bay, visiting some of its most iconic attractions.
The trail will comprise of eight custom made reindeer willow sculptures, with the ninth being an augmented reality digital reindeer to be found in Roald Dahl Plass that families can bring to life on a smartphone, thanks to sponsorship support from Cardiff Harbour Authority.
Participants can collect a map for the trail from any participating venue or access the map online with a choice of completing the trail in Welsh or English. Participating venues include Mermaid Quay, Wales Millennium Centre, Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament, Craft in the Bay, Norwegian Church, The Coal Exchange and The Red Dragon Centre.
Emma Constantinou, marketing manager at The Red Dragon Centre, said: “We are delighted to be involved in another successive festive trail in Cardiff Bay this year. The aim of the trail is to create accessible Christmas magic for families of all ages to enjoy that is free of charge and guaranteed to spread the magic and joy of the Christmas season. We can’t wait to immerse visitors to the Centre in the Christmas magic with our giant light-up Santa ready for selfies, and to be hosting a familiar red-nose reindeer as part of the trail.”
To complete the trail, a letter must be collected from each reindeer and unscrambled to decipher the mystery words. Those who manage to put the pieces together will be in with a chance to win a fun family stay in Cardiff Bay by submitting their words on Cardiff Bay’s website: www.visitcardiffbay.info, in a lucky draw for the top prize.
The winning prize includes an overnight stay at Voco St David’s with breakfast included tickets to the Odeon cinema at The Red Dragon Centre – Wales’ only IMAX screen – a boat ride on the prestigious Princess Katharine, a £50 voucher for The Red Dragon Centre’s mouthwatering Japanese restaurant, Volcano and a free ice cream every week for a year from Cadwaladers, Mermaid Quay. The prize covers a family of 4, either 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children.
Plus, those who take a selfie with any of the sculptures or digital reindeer and share it by tagging the Visit Cardiff Bay socials will be in with a chance to win weekly prizes from various Cardiff Bay attractions throughout the duration of the trail.
The official launch weekend for the trail will take place on 30 November and 1 December, with a stacked timetable of festive-themed activities set to take over Cardiff Bay. At The Red Dragon Centre, young elves can come and meet a young baby Dasher and friends in a unique puppet encounter, or they can take a trip to Mermaid Quay to be welcomed to Mrs Claus’ Kitchen for a cosy story time complete with inclusive games and gingerbread biscuit decorating.
For those looking to flex their arts and crafts skills, The Senedd Cymru building and Craft in the Bay will be hosting free family-friendly activities to make and take home your own Christmas decoration.
Charlotte Kingston, Chair of the Waterfront Partners, said: “After two successful years of our Christmas trail, we are delighted to be back to spread the Christmas cheer in partnership with some incredible Cardiff Bay-based businesses and partners. Our passion at the Waterfront Partners is to create fun, free and inclusive events that can be enjoyed by all ages, and this event is no different. I am thrilled to see so many organisations taking part to help spread the festive spirit, especially with our launch weekend which is stacked with free Christmas cheer.
“We are additionally proud to be incorporating more sustainable practices in our events with our willow-made reindeer, and exploring how we can provide the ultimate experience for visitors with our augmented reality feature to the trail.”
The Waterfront Partners is a non-profit making organisation. Its 30+ members represent a unique cross section of the Cardiff Bay visitor attraction community including local government, charities, developers/landlords and privately run businesses, all of which have an interest in supporting the ongoing, and increasing, success of Cardiff Bay.
The Red Dragon Centre is home to a multitude of interactive, lifestyle and food and drink venues including Odeon Cinema, the home of Wales’ only IMAX screen, and the Hollywood Bowl which have been key Centre attractions since the beginning.
The Centre hosts a range of additional brands that make up an intrinsic part of the entertainment and dining experience, including Grosvenor Casino, Five Guys, Spice Route, Volcano, EasyThali, EveryTime, and Zaika.
The Centre is also the site of the Capital FM South Wales studio, which was formerly Red Dragon FM, as well as Heart FM. Today, you’ll find the likes of Josh and Kally broadcasting their Capital Drive Show live from there every weekday.