There’s a point every November when somebody spots the first Christmas lights and suddenly we’re all asking the same question. What shall we do this year?
At South Wales Life, we’ve got a few answers. A hundred, in fact. You could follow a lantern parade through Caerphilly, put on your pyjamas for a steam train ride near Merthyr or spend a December afternoon eating Welsh cakes in Swansea Market. And if the weather turns and the sofa wins, we’ve got plenty for that too.
Think of this as a pick-and-mix, not a to-do list. Choose one big outing, a couple of free afternoons and something you can do in slippers. That’s a pretty good Christmas already.
Planning your visit. Dates and published prices were checked on 7th November 2026. Where an event runs into January, we’ve included it because it opens before Christmas. Use the organiser links for current availability, final prices, access information and any weather-related changes. Free entry means you can attend without paying for admission, though food, rides and other extras may cost more.
Christmas markets and town-centre celebrations
1. Start with Cardiff Christmas Market. From 12 November to 23 December, the city-centre stalls make it easy to find something made by a local artist or food producer. Go early in the season if you’re shopping for gifts, then come back after dark for a browse under the lights. Free to browse.
2. Try Swansea’s Oxford Street Christmas Market. The stalls are out from 21 November to 22 December. Make a slow lap before you buy anything. It’s much more fun when you’ve found the stall you want to go back to than when you’re carrying the first thing you saw. Free to browse. Swansea Christmas Market
3. Catch Caerphilly’s River of Light. On Friday 20 November, the Mini Festive Fair leads into the 5.30pm lantern parade, with the switch-on and fireworks scheduled from 6pm. Go for the lanterns, then decide whether the fireworks are part of your evening. Free. Visit Caerphilly
4. Come back for Caerphilly Christmas Market. The market has its own day on Saturday 21 November, 9am–5pm. Do your gift browsing in daylight and leave enough time to get something warm to eat. Free entry. Market details
5. Spend a Saturday in Bargoed. The town-centre market opens at 9am on 14 November, with the lantern parade at 4.15pm and tree lights at 4.45pm. If you have little ones who are flagging by tea time, you can enjoy the stalls earlier in the day. Free. Bargoed programme
6. Follow the lanterns through Blackwood. The Christmas market takes place on 28 November, with its parade at 4.15pm and switch-on at 4.45pm. Let the children choose their favourite lantern, then find out whether anyone in the family can agree. Free. Blackwood programme
7. See Ystrad Mynach light up. Start December with the 5 December market and its Santa Hat Lantern Parade at 4.15pm. The lights follow at 4.45pm. Wear a Santa hat of your own if you’ve got one. Free. Ystrad Mynach programme
8. Make a lantern in Risca. Risca Library hosts free lantern-making sessions on 14 and 21 November, 10am–4pm, with materials supplied. A good one for children who would happily spend longer making something than looking at the stalls. Free. Workshop details
9. Browse the Winter Fair at Aberglasney. Head to the gardens near Llandeilo on 4–6 December, 10am–4.30pm. Give yourself time for both the craft stalls and the food marquee. You might go for a present and end up coming home with the Christmas chutney as well. Aberglasney Winter Fair
10. Spend a festive weekend in Llandeilo. The Festival of Senses, on 13–15 November, is a chance to see what the town’s independent shops, cafés and makers have been working on. Pick one shop you’ve never been into and one place to sit down for a proper cuppa. Free festival. Festival programme
11. Make a bookish trip to Hay-on-Wye. Hay Festival Winter Weekend runs 26–29 November, with the town’s Christmas lights switched on Friday 27 November. Choose a talk if something catches your eye, or go for the bookshops and stay for the switch-on. Individual festival events may be ticketed. Winter Weekend
12. Shop small in Narberth. Put the Queens Hall Christmas Market (27–29 November) on your Pembrokeshire shortlist and give the independent shops in town a look while you’re there. If you’re buying for someone who has everything, a little something from a maker is a good place to start. Market listing
Lights, ice and proper winter nights out
13. Walk Christmas at Bute Park after dark. Cardiff’s mile-long illuminated trail runs 19 November–31 December. The installations and soundtrack are the main event, so give yourself time to stop along the way. Peak and off-peak tickets are available, along with two advertised neuro-inclusive evenings. Dates and tickets
14. See Margam Castle in a different light. The Luminate trail at Margam Country Park features a new animation on the Gothic castle for 2026. It’s the sort of outing where the person who insisted they wouldn’t take photos ends up taking the most. Check the live calendar for dates and prices. Luminate at Margam
15. Skate beneath Cardiff Castle’s walls. Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland runs 12 November–3 January 2027. Head to the castle for the undercover rink and Ice Walk. You can go along to watch for free, or book a skating slot if you fancy giving it a go. Cardiff Castle Winter Wonderland
16. Take a spin above Cardiff. The other half of Winter Wonderland is on City Hall Lawn, also from 12 November. The Big Wheel is the one to pick if you want a view over the city. At ground level there’s a funfair, food and the alpine bar. Free entry, paid rides. Attractions and booking
17. Take the free Cardiff lights route. From 12 November, make your own evening wander through the city centre. Start at the castle and follow the lights through the shopping streets. Give everyone a vote for best window on the way home. Free. Cardiff Christmas lights
18. Skate at Newport Winter Wonderland. The attraction next to Friars Walk opens 20 November and runs until 3 January 2027. The rink is undercover and uses real ice. Free entry to the site, with separate charges for skating and other attractions. Opening times and booking
19. Spend an evening at Swansea Waterfront Winterland. Opening 19 November and running to 3 January 2027, it’s an easy choice if your group is divided between the keen skaters and the people who’d rather keep both feet on dry land. Check the organiser’s quiet sessions if you prefer a gentler visit. Opening times and tickets
20. Skate indoors at ICC Wales. The Great Skate in Newport runs 11 December–2 January 2027. The real-ice rink is in the Main Hall, which makes it a handy December plan if you want to book something indoors. ICC Wales bookings
21. See Tredegar House in the evening. The National Trust advertises selected late openings 14–23 December so visitors can see the festive decorations after dark. It’s a good excuse to stop rushing for an hour and take in the rooms properly. Check admission and opening times before heading out. National Trust Christmas listings
22. Do a neighbourhood lights walk. Start just before dark and let the youngest person choose the route. Make a game of spotting a star, a reindeer and a house that’s gone gloriously overboard. Free.
Santa, steam trains and Welsh Christmas traditions
23. Board the Polar Express near Merthyr Tydfil. Brecon Mountain Railway is bringing the themed train ride to its line for the first time in 2026. This one starts at Pant near Merthyr, so put the railway’s departure point into your sat-nav rather than heading for Brecon town. Train information and tickets
24. Go underground to find Santa in the Rhondda. Santa’s Toy Mine returns to Rhondda Heritage Park Museum from 21 November to 24 December. It’s a particularly South Wales take on the grotto, with the old colliery setting doing half the storytelling before you even meet Santa. Council event information
25. Make a farm day of your Santa visit at Cantref. The adventure farm near Brecon has a dedicated Christmas experience with a timed Santa visit. Leave time either side of your slot to enjoy the farm. Check which activities are included on your chosen date. Cantref Christmas tickets
26. Meet Santa at Folly Farm. The Pembrokeshire attraction lists grotto visits on weekends 7–29 November and Fridays to Sundays 4–20 December, 10am–4pm. There’s a gift for children meeting Santa. Check the grotto arrangements and farm admission before setting off. Folly Farm festive dates
27. Find Santa near Friars Walk. Newport Winter Wonderland has a grotto as well as the ice rink. If you’re taking children who are too young to skate, make their Santa visit the main event and let them choose one more thing to do afterwards. Newport Winter Wonderland
28. Post a letter to Father Christmas at St Fagans. Museum Wales lists its festive letter-posting activity on 5–6 and 12–13 December. Write the letter at home first and let the children deliver it themselves. Check the listing for activity arrangements and parking charges. Museum Wales Christmas events
29. See the Mari Lwyd at St Fagans. The museum’s Mari Lwyd and Hunting of the Wren performances are listed for 5–6 and 12–13 December. If the children ask why a horse’s skull is knocking at a door, you’ve found yourself a very Welsh Christmas conversation. Performance information
30. Hear a Christmas story at Big Pit. Museum Wales lists Storytime with Father Christmas at Big Pit in Blaenavon. It’s an outing you can pair with a little local history. Check age guidance, session dates and booking details for the activity. Museum Wales festive programme
31. Take a quiet festive wander at Dyffryn Gardens. The National Trust’s Christmas programme near St Nicholas includes seasonal touches and a chance to look for a pre-loved find in the bookshop. This is a good pick for a group that would rather walk and chat than queue. Check admission and winter opening. Dyffryn Christmas details
32. Put a Welsh Christmas greeting on your cards. Write Nadolig Llawen for Merry Christmas. If children are writing cards, let them do the lettering and draw something from their own street or town on the front. It’s a small way to make a card feel like it came from home.
Panto, music and a night at the theatre
33. Boo the baddie at Beauty and the Beast in Cardiff. The New Theatre’s panto runs 5 December–3 January 2027, with advertised tickets from £23.50. Look up the access performances if anyone in your group needs a particular format. Production details · Published prices and access listings
34. See Cinderella at Newport’s Riverfront. The Riverfront panto opens 27 November and runs to 31 December. Take somebody who hasn’t been to a panto before. Their face when the audience starts joining in is half the fun. Riverfront panto and bookings
35. Find Snow White at Swansea Grand. Swansea’s panto runs 5 December–3 January 2027. A matinee makes a good family outing if you’re fitting the theatre around school-night bedtimes. Check the seat map and the listed relaxed and BSL performances. Swansea Grand Theatre
36. Follow Dick Whittington in Carmarthen. The Lyric’s panto runs 10–28 December, with advertised tickets from £15.50. If several generations are going together, it’s worth checking performance times before you try to coordinate dinner as well. Theatrau Sir Gâr
37. Cheer for Puss in Boots in Milford Haven. The Torch Theatre’s Christmas panto runs 5 December–2 January 2027. The listing includes relaxed and BSL performances. Check the theatre’s calendar for the date and format that suit your party. Torch Theatre
38. See Pinocchio in Welsh at the Sherman. Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre lists the Welsh-language production 23 November–2 January 2027, following previews. It’s a chance to make Welsh part of the family’s Christmas outing, whether it’s spoken every day at home or the children are learning it at school. Sherman Theatre listings
39. Fly to Neverland at ICC Wales. Peter Pan runs 12 December–2 January 2027 in Newport, with tickets from £26. Book it as the day’s main event, or allow a proper break between the show and a skate if you’re tempted by both. ICC Wales family show
40. Listen to carols and harp at Llandaff Cathedral. A Christmas Sequence on 6 December offers a reflective service with traditional carols in Benjamin Britten’s arrangements for choir and harp. Put it in the diary for a quieter moment in the middle of December. Service listing
41. Give the office party an ABBA twist. ICC Wales lists Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Christmas Festive-al on 18 and 19 December. This is the one for the friends who start discussing the dance floor before they’ve even looked at the menu. Party information and booking
42. Find a carol service close to home. Check your nearest chapel, church or community hall for its December programme. If you go with someone who knows all the harmonies, stand next to them. It makes singing the familiar ones even better.
43. Turn a cinema trip into a Christmas tradition. Look for seasonal screenings at your nearest independent cinema or arts centre. Give each person one vote, then let the youngest member of the party break the tie. A matinee and chips afterwards works just as well as a grand evening out.
44. Go to a school or community concert. If there’s a public concert in the diary, buy a ticket and go along. A children’s choir, brass band or amateur orchestra can make a whole evening feel festive. Local venue and school listings are the place to check.
Food, shopping and afternoons with friends
45. Book a festive afternoon tea in Newport. ICC Wales lists Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea from 12–31 December. Pick a date before Christmas Eve if you want it as a catch-up before everyone disappears into family plans. Check the booking page for menus, dietary requests and prices. Afternoon tea bookings
46. Try a Christmas escape room in Cardiff. Exitus has venues on Queen Street and Churchill Way. It’s a good way to get a group talking because, for once, you all have something more pressing to discuss than who’s hosting Christmas dinner. Check group sizes and seasonal packages. Our Exitus feature
47. Buy the makings of a Welsh Christmas cheeseboard. Visit a deli or market and ask what the person behind the counter would take home. Pick one Welsh cheese you already love, one you’ve never tried and something sharp or sweet to go with them.
48. Go to Swansea Market for warm Welsh cakes. Give yourself time for the indoor market and buy a few Welsh cakes to share. If you’re doing other food shopping, do that first so you can eat the cakes while they’re warm on the way out. Swansea Market
49. Browse Cardiff’s arcades for one good gift. Set a budget and pick one person to buy for. The arcades are ideal for this kind of mission because you can stop for coffee halfway through and compare notes.
50. Shop for a Christmas breakfast in Abergavenny. Make breakfast the star of your shopping list. Look for bread, jam, local butter or something from a bakery you can put straight on the table. Have a cup of tea in town before you take the haul home.
51. Take a friend for a lunchtime Christmas catch-up. Pick a weekday lunch if evenings are getting booked up. Each of you brings one thing you want to do together in the new year and you leave with it in the diary.
52. Build a hamper from your own high street. Take a basket or a box and fill it with three or four things from local businesses. A small bag of coffee, a bar of chocolate and a handwritten note make a present you can tailor to almost anyone.
53. Let the children choose the pudding at a bakery. Give them a budget and ask them to find something everybody can share. It might be a mince pie each, a tray of brownies or a spectacular cake with rather more icing than you’d have chosen.
54. Do a second-hand gift hunt. Pick a book, record or board game from a charity shop and include a note about why you chose it. It’s particularly good for that friend who still talks about an album they had on cassette.
55. Make an evening of festive hot chocolates. Pick a café you’ve been meaning to try and take someone who always says, “We should catch up before Christmas.” Then do the catching up before December starts disappearing.
56. Pick up a takeaway Christmas dinner for the next day. If you want Christmas Day lunch without starting from scratch, ICC Wales lists Gourmet To Go for collection on 24 December. Check the order deadline, serving sizes and collection time before committing. Christmas Eve collection
Winter walks and easy days out
These are pick-your-own-date ideas. Aim for daylight on coast and countryside outings, and check conditions and seasonal opening before travelling.
57. Get some sea air on Penarth Pier. Wrap up, watch the water for a while and get something hot to drink nearby. A short outing is perfectly respectable when the wind is coming straight off the Bristol Channel.
58. Walk from Swansea Bay towards Mumbles. Pick a section of the seafront to suit the people you’re with. Make the turnaround point a café or a favourite bench. The full distance can wait for a longer day.
59. Visit Barry Island in winter. See what the seafront feels like without the summer crowds. Let the kids pick a game to play on the promenade and bring a flask in case the place you normally get tea is shut.
60. Watch the waves at Porthcawl. Make it a promenade outing with chips or a hot drink at the end. On a blustery day, the sea provides plenty to look at from a sheltered spot well back from the water.
61. Walk around Cardiff Bay. Start near the Wales Millennium Centre and follow as much of the waterfront as you fancy. It’s a good choice when some of the group want a walk and others are more interested in finding a warm table.
62. Take your camera to Tenby. Give yourself a simple winter photo challenge. Find a harbour view, a colourful doorway and one detail you would normally walk straight past. Pick your favourite for next year’s Christmas card.
63. Look for winter birds at Newport Wetlands. Bring binoculars if you have them and try spending a few minutes standing still before you move on. Check visitor centre and parking arrangements before you go. RSPB Newport Wetlands
64. Spend a short afternoon at Cosmeston. Pick a manageable stretch around the lakes near Penarth and leave time for a flask stop. It’s a handy plan when you want daylight and fresh air between other December commitments.
65. Go for a winter walk at Dare Valley Country Park. Choose a route to suit your group and the ground conditions. Give the children a camera or phone and ask them to find three things that make a good winter picture.
66. Take a slow lap at Parc Bryn Bach. Go to the lakeside near Tredegar for a walk and a chat. Agree beforehand how far you’re going, so the person who came along for the company can enjoy it as much as the person counting their steps.
67. Spend an hour beside the canal in Brecon. Start near the canal basin and walk out and back. Pick a daylight window and finish in town with something hot. If the paths are icy, the town itself makes an easy change of plan.
68. Take the children to choose a library book. Ask for a winter story, a funny one and something you can read in short instalments before bed. Let the children pick one book for the adults to read as well.
69. Go museum-hopping on a rainy afternoon. Pick National Museum Cardiff or Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum and agree on one gallery each person wants to see. General admission to Museum Wales sites is free, with some special activities and exhibitions charged separately. Museum Wales visitor information
70. See a different town by daylight and after dark. Take the train or bus somewhere you usually drive through, arrive while the shops are open and stay until the lights come on. Check the last service before you go, especially if you’re travelling on Christmas Eve.
Christmas at home
71. Hold a mince pie blind tasting. Cut each pie into quarters, put a number by each plate and score pastry and filling separately. Keep the packaging hidden until everyone has voted. The supermarket own brand might surprise you.
72. Make Welsh cakes with a festive twist. Add orange zest or a pinch of mixed spice to your usual batch. Eat some warm and pack the rest in a little tin for someone you’re seeing that week.
73. Put together a hot chocolate station. Set out mugs, cocoa and whatever toppings are already in the cupboard. Give everyone a small spoon to create their own combination. Crushed biscuits are particularly good if you have an open packet to use up.
74. Bake gingerbread place names. Cut out simple shapes and add initials with icing once they’ve cooled. They can sit on the table at dinner and double as pudding for anyone who says they’re too full for pudding.
75. Have breakfast for Christmas film night. Put on a favourite festive film and serve toast, pancakes or scrambled eggs in front of it. A blanket each makes it feel like an occasion even if everyone is in their normal pyjamas.
76. Let a different person pick the film every Friday. Start early enough that everybody gets a turn. If someone picks the same film you watched last year, let them have it. That’s how traditions get started.
77. Make a paper chain long enough to cross the room. Cut strips from old wrapping paper or magazine pages. Keep a running count and let the youngest person put on the final link.
78. Turn last year’s cards into gift tags. Cut out the best sections, punch a hole and use ribbon or string you already have. An old card with a tiny robin on it can make half a dozen plain parcels look lovely.
79. Make an ornament that remembers this year. Write the year and one small memory on the back of a card star. Think of a funny family phrase, a first day at school or the name of a place everyone loved visiting.
80. Build a wreath from what you already have. Tie spare ribbon, felt or paper greenery to a cardboard ring. It’s a good way to use the scraps from other projects and a forgiving craft if everyone in the family wants to add something.
81. Wrap presents with a good radio show on. Make a cup of tea, put a whole programme on and do the job at a sensible pace. Write the tags as you go so you can still tell which oddly shaped parcel is which.
82. Start a household Christmas playlist. Everybody gets three songs. The catch is that you have to play all of them, including the one you usually skip. Ask a grandparent or older neighbour for a song they associate with Christmas growing up.
83. Make a photo album of the ordinary bits. Pick twelve pictures from your phone, one per month if you can. Give each a caption about what was happening just outside the frame. Print it or share it with someone who was there.
84. Hold a family quiz that’s actually about your family. Include a baby photo round, a question about the disastrous holiday meal and a round of guesses about what somebody said. Get the answers agreed before the competitive people arrive.
85. Have a jigsaw evening with an open-door policy. Leave the puzzle on a table and let people drift in and out. Get the edges done if that’s how your household likes to start, or hand the first pieces to the person who insists the edges are overrated.
86. Do a Christmas Eve story swap. Everybody picks something short to read aloud or tells one story they remember being told. If someone can’t be there, ask for a voice note and play it when you’re all together.
87. Make a Christmas Eve snack board. Put out crackers, fruit, cheese and whatever needs using up before the big food shop. A few small bowls make it feel special, and everybody can help themselves between wrapping and watching telly.
88. Plan a festive leftovers challenge before the big shop. Choose something you already enjoy that can use up spare bread, vegetables or cheese. Then buy only the extras you need for it. It makes the Christmas food shop a bit easier to think through.
89. Put on a Christmas jumper photo shoot at home. Use the self-timer and take a sensible photo first. Then let someone direct a ridiculous one. The second photo is the one you’ll end up sending round.
90. Let the children run an indoor treasure hunt. Give them five slips of paper and ask them to write the clues. The adults have to solve them, even when one clue says the next one is “near the thing by the thing.”
Small ways to make somebody’s Christmas
91. Ask your food bank what it needs this week. Check the local branch’s current list before shopping. One or two requested items are a useful addition to a normal supermarket trip. Find a Trussell food bank
92. Support a local toy appeal. Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Operation Santa appeal runs until Friday 27 November and accepts cash pledges to help buy gifts for local children. Check with the council for current collection details if you’d prefer to donate a voucher. South Wales Life’s Operation Santa feature
93. Buy a ticket for a community fundraiser. Look for a Christmas coffee morning, brass band concert or charity raffle close to home. Take someone along and stay for a chat if you can.
94. Offer a lift to an event you’re already attending. If there’s room in the car, ask somebody who might otherwise find the journey awkward. Agree the homeward time in advance so everybody knows what the evening involves.
95. Send a card with a specific thank-you. Think of one thing someone did this year that made a difference. Write down what it was. Two honest sentences will mean more than trying to fill the whole card.
96. Help someone with a festive errand. Offer to take a parcel to the post office, pick up a few things on your way to the shop or help carry their decorations down. Small, specific offers are easy to say yes to.
97. Take a break with someone who’s working over Christmas. Invite them for a cup of tea or a short walk on a day that fits around their shift. Even half an hour together can be a proper Christmas catch-up.
98. Share a recipe with its story attached. Write down the way you actually make it, including the adjustments you always forget to tell people. Add a line about who taught you or why you always cook it in December.
99. Ring someone you usually only message. Put the kettle on and give them a call. If you haven’t spoken in a while, ask about a Christmas you both remember. You might hear a different version of the same story.
100. Keep one December evening free. Put it in the diary now. If you end up walking to see the lights, lovely. If all you do is eat a mince pie in your slippers and watch something you’ve seen a dozen times, that counts too.
From all of us at South Wales Life, Nadolig Llawen. If there’s a Christmas tradition in your town, village or street that you think more people should know about, tell us what makes it special.
