Cardiff Bay gets snowed under this Christmas

Today, on Black Friday, the Cardiff Bay Waterfront community has announced it’s going to be a White Friday, with just a week to go until the launch of the Cardiff Bay Snow Trail.

Cardiff Bay will be transformed into a winter wonderland with their free Snow Trail, open to the public from 1 December – 7 January, helping to keep festive fun affordable for families during the cost-of-living crisis.

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.

Families are tasked to find eight snow people sculptures scattered across Cardiff Bay at key locations such as The Red Dragon Centre, Giovannis, Craft in the Bay, the Senedd / Welsh Parliament, Mermaid Quay, The Coal Exchange, Techniquest and in Roald Dahl Plass. They might even be lucky enough to catch sight of Santa’s sleigh.

To complete the trail, mystery letters must be collected from each character, and then rearranged to solve a puzzling riddle, and each character will have a clue to help.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as one lucky winner drawn at random from a draw of all the correct online entries will receive an action-packed visit to the Bay. This will include the following for one lucky family: meal for four and overnight stay at The Coal Exchange, bowling at Hollywood Bowl, a £100 voucher to use at a MQ restaurant of the winner’s choice, and a boat trip on the majestic Princess Katharine.

Cameras best be at the ready, as there will also be weekly spot prizes for the best selfie with any of the sculptures that are shared on the Visit Cardiff Bay socials including tickets for ODEON, a show at WMC, Techniquest and a hotel stay at Future Inns.

The official trail launch day will see free snow-themed activities takeover the Bay on 2 December. ExperiMENTAL Science will be hosting workshops at The Red Dragon Centre, the Senedd will host a Christmas crafts activity, Mermaid Quay are hosting an afternoon of family fun games, the Norwegian Church sees jolly Christmas characters visit for storytelling and a treasure hunt, whilst at Craft in the Bay families can make festive decorations to take home.

Emma Constantinou, marketing manager at the Red Dragon Centre, said: “We had so much fun with our Gingerbread Trail last year that we couldn’t resist bringing the festive spirit to Cardiff Bay and collaborating with Cardiff Bay Waterfront Partners once again. We wanted to create a fun and friendly event for free, so that anyone can get involved and spread some joy this Christmas.”

The Red Dragon Centre is Cardiff Bay’s leading entertainment venue. The Centre houses a multitude of interactive, lifestyle and food and drink venues including Odeon Cinema, the home of Wales’ only IMAX screen, the Hollywood Bowl, Grosvenor Casino, Simply Gym, Five Guys, Spice Route, Volcano, Roots and Zaika.

For further information about The Red Dragon Centre and the latest venue openings, visit https://thereddragoncentre.co.uk/  or follow the Centre on Facebook.