Swansea’s Christmas Parade named UK’s best council outdoor event

Swansea’s dazzling Christmas Parade has been crowned the UK’s best council‑organised outdoor event at the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) Awards 2025.

The accolade comes just days after tens of thousands lined the city centre streets to enjoy the annual festive spectacle, which featured floats, performers, and a visit from Santa.

The awards, held in Bath, celebrate excellence across the UK’s outdoor events industry and bring together leading professionals from across the country. Swansea Council took home the Event of the Year – Local Authority Sector title, recognising the creativity and impact of the teams who deliver the parade each year.

“A phenomenal achievement for Swansea”

Council Leader Rob Stewart said the award was a testament to the city’s ability to stage cultural experiences that unite communities and attract visitors:

“Our Christmas Parade is far more than a spectacular show, it’s a tradition that brings people together, supports local businesses, and creates shared moments that strengthen our sense of community. Winning this award is a phenomenal achievement for Swansea and something the whole city can be proud of.”

This is the second time Swansea’s events programme has been recognised nationally in 2025, following success as a finalist at the Visit Wales Tourism Awards earlier this year.

National recognition

Susan Tanner, CEO of NOEA, praised Swansea’s approach:

“Swansea Council triumphed in Event of the Year – Local Authority Sector for its forward‑thinking approach to delivering major public celebrations. The calibre of this year’s winners shows the innovation, passion and talent shaping the UK’s outdoor events industry.”

Recognition for Swansea’s events team

The award caps off a busy year for Swansea’s events programme, which has already drawn national attention at the Visit Wales Tourism Awards.

For many residents, the Christmas Parade has become a highlight of the city’s festive calendar, bringing families into the city centre and giving local businesses a seasonal boost.

This latest recognition from the National Outdoor Events Association underlines the growing reputation of Swansea’s events team and the role their work plays in shaping the city’s cultural life.

#christmas #christmasParade #cllrRobStewart #councilOrganisedOutdoorEvent #eventOfTheYearLocalAuthoritySector #nationalOutdoorEventsAssociation #noea #swansea #swanseaChristmasParade #visitWales #visitWalesTourismAwards

Welsh Government writes off £1.6m after failed Porthcawl Maritime Centre project

The Welsh Government has formally written off more than £1.6 million in public funding after a planned Maritime Centre in Porthcawl collapsed without being built.

A new report from Audit Wales found “basic failings” in the way the project was managed, concluding that warning signs and opportunities to limit the loss were missed.

The centre — planned for the harbourside — was intended to include a coastal science and discovery hub, well‑being facilities, a café and restaurant, group accommodation and events space. It was promoted as a flagship attraction to boost tourism, celebrate maritime heritage and support regeneration.

Funding and collapse

In 2016 and 2017, the Welsh Government approved up to £2.7 million for the scheme, combining European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) support with domestic match funding.

The project was led by Credu Charity Ltd, working with Bridgend County Borough Council. Between May 2016 and March 2020, £1.6 million was paid to Credu.

By August 2020, amid concerns over rising costs and slow progress, the Welsh Government withdrew ERDF funding and sought to recover the grants. In November that year, Credu entered voluntary liquidation and the Maritime Centre was never built.

A police investigation into matters relating to the project concluded in 2024 with no charges brought. Audit Wales says it is unlikely any of the £1.6 million will be recovered.

Oversight criticised

Audit Wales found a lack of clarity over roles between the Welsh European Funding Office and Visit Wales, ineffective monitoring, and late or insufficient due diligence. Public money was committed before full match funding was secured, and controls over expenditure claims were described as weak.

Auditor General Adrian Crompton said:

“While time has passed since the events described in this report, there were basic failings in this case and the lessons from it remain relevant today.”

In a written statement to the Senedd, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Energy and Planning Rebecca Evans confirmed the write‑off, describing the loss as a “Claims Waived and Abandoned” entry in line with public money rules. She said lessons from the case had informed stronger pre‑payment checks, earlier risk identification and tighter expenditure controls.

Political reaction

Welsh Conservative finance spokesperson Sam Rowlands MS called the loss “another colossal waste of taxpayers’ money” and said the Auditor General’s review showed the Welsh Government “did not put proper arrangements in place to manage the risks”.

The Welsh Government said it accepted Audit Wales’ conclusions and noted that “ultimate reasons for the Maritime Centre’s failure were complicated and outside the scope of this report”.

Funds originally earmarked for the Maritime Centre were reallocated to Bridgend Council for a smaller development at Cosy Corner, which has since opened to house local retail and start‑up businesses.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Politicians have a whale of a time at Porthcawl’s Cosy Corner
Local leaders celebrate completion of new seafront development.

Public urged to avoid Porthcawl funfair after ride accident
Safety concerns raised following incident at a popular attraction.

Sauna start‑up steams ahead in Porthcawl with Business Wales support
Wellness venture gains momentum on the South Wales coast.

Coney Beach Amusement Park to close after more than 100 years in Porthcawl
End of an era for beloved seaside institution.

#AuditWales #BridgendCountyBoroughCouncil #CosyCorner #CreduCharityLtd #ERDF #EuropeanRegionalDevelopmentFund #Porthcawl #PorthcawlMaritimeCentre #RebeccaEvansMS #VisitWales #WelshEuropeanFundingOffice #WelshGovernment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TQ_pkLeWRs Bodnant Garden, near Tal‑y‑Cafn, Conwy in North Wales, is a celebrated 80‑acre hillside masterpiece run by the National Trust.

Founded in 1874 by Henry Pochin and landscape architect Edward Milner, and expanded through five generations of the McLaren family, it was royally gifted to the National Trust in 1949. #bodnantgarden #NorthWales #virals #beautifuldestinations #visitwales

Visit Wales launch new girl-gang breaks to celebrate St Non’s Day

With ‘girl gang’ breaks on the rise, Visit Wales has launched four new female-focussed itineraries with a focus on wellbeing, adventure and meaningful multi-generational get-togethers to mark St Non’s Day for the first time.

Non, the mother of Wales’ patron Saint David, is honoured on March 2nd, a day after Wales’ national day, St David’s Day, which is dedicated to her son.

Female group travel has become a key travel trend for 2025. Visit Wales data shows the hashtag #GirlTrip has been viewed more than 7m times on TikTok in the last 120 days. On Pinterest, “Girls Trip” has seen a 20% year on year increase and 38% increase in mentions across social platforms – as well as spawning millions of the ‘when the girls trip leaves the group chat’ memes.

The four new itineraries can be explored on Visit Wales’ website and feature a host of activities from jumping in seaweed baths and steaming beachfront barrel saunas in the stunning coastal landscapes of north Wales, to sampling freshly foraged seafood in Pembrokeshire restaurants, dancing in a silent disco at the national museum in the Welsh capital or indulging in a book club break in Hay on Wye. The itineraries are part of Visit Wales’ wider campaign inviting people to ‘feel the hwyl’- a deep state of joy that comes from being totally immersed in the moment.

Star of BBC smash hit TV series The Traitors, 24-year-old Elen Wyn, a translator and opera singer from north Wales, says Wales is the perfect place for a girls trip and she would be delighted to host Traitors villain Charlotte, who adopted a Welsh accent throughout the series to soften her ruthless tactics.

Elen said: “Charlotte told me she’s more familiar with south than north Wales, so I would want to take her up there, to Llanddwyn Beach, which is beautiful and Mynydd Parys is strange but unique. I think Charlotte could do with chilling out a bit, so we would head to the beach and mountains.

“I’m in touch with Livi, Minah and Leanne and I’d love them to see the real Wales too. I would take them all to Barry Island – there were lots of Gavin and Stacey fans in the castle, so they would enjoy that.

“Charlotte tried to avoid me in the castle, because she was worried I would spot her accent and become suspicious, so I think we’ve got lots of catching up to do to get to know each other properly.”

Since moving to Cardiff to study three years ago, Elen’s ‘genod,’ or girls, in north Wales make much more effort to come together for a catch up.

“I’m definitely the organiser!” says Elen. “Wales is perfect for a girls’ trip because there are so many places to relax like going for a walk round Roath Park Lake while Cardiff’s St Mary Street is great for partying. My younger sister Beca and I love trying one of the many, many great restaurants here. I love the balance between being mindful and doing something totally exhilarating like swimming in the sea at Church Bay in Cemlyn or climbing Pen y Fan.

“I take mindfulness very seriously – for the mind, mental health and for the body. It makes you feel so good. I love chilling on the balcony after a day in the spa at Voco St David’s – the views over Cardiff Bay are something else. Beca and I are booked into the spa at Dylan Coastal Resort next month and I can’t wait for the trip to Laugharne, after a friend recommended we try it.

“I have lots of groups of female friends who enjoy different types of breaks and being the middle of three sisters, we love getting away together or going for a hike in the gorgeous north Wales mountains or along the coast and beaches.

“I’m familiar with most parts of Wales, because of my competing in Eisteddfods since I was little. From caravanning with the family at Eisteddfodau to winning for my solo last year, I have so many Eisteddfod highlights.”

While St David’s Day is full of ‘hwyl’ in Wales, fewer people may have heard of the significance of the day afterwards; St Non’s Day.

St Non’s ruined medieval chapel lies on a spectacular and remote part of the Wales Coast Path in North Pembrokeshire, where she is said to have given birth to St David. Labour pains caused her to grip a stone so hard that her fingerprints were left on it, splitting it in two.

Sian Kilcoyne, co-author of best-selling book Welsh Women on This Day said:

“While the story of St Non is that of a nun living in the 5th Century, the issues surrounding her are still highly pertinent to women and girls in 2025.

“A visit or retreat to St Non’s chapel and well in Pembrokeshire has long been seen as an opportunity for healing, self-reflection, wellness and connection with nature. Opening that idea out to new audiences of women around the world and to more locations across Wales is a wonderful opportunity to continue to reclaim and celebrate Non’s story on this day, centuries later.”

One uniquely Welsh venue embodying the modern-day trend for women travelling in groups and looking for modern day wellness and connection is The Dreaming, a wellbeing retreat nestled in the heart of the Elan Valley in Wales, brought to life by Welsh singer-songwriter, Charlotte Church.

Starting life as a 15th-Century monastery, and later owned by another iconic Welsh woman, Laura Ashley, who ran her global interior design business from the house, The Dreaming site now offers day retreats that allow guests to slow down and reconnect with the nature of the area, which includes waterfalls, ancient forests and an international Dark Sky reserve for stargazing: to overnight stays providing longer opportunities for guests to heal and reconnect with themselves in the bohemian-luxury surroundings of the estate.

Specific packages on offer at The Dreaming include a Mother Daughter Retreat; a Queer Retreat and a Muslim Women Retreat.

Female focussed group events in Wales are also building in popularity, with the world’s largest female-only ultra-marathon, She Ultra, set to take place in the Llyn Peninsula in north Wales in April and attracting a record 1,800 entrants from around the world.

Organiser Huw Williams said many women would be travelling with groups of friends to attend and see the event, which raises money for women’s cancer charities, as more than a just a race.

He said: “The majority of the women are walkers and hikers and then you’ve got about 20 per cent who are runners. Women are coming from all over the UK, Italy, Portugal, Poland, France, Greece and America. It is going to be such a great weekend for the women and the local community.”

The four new itineraries can be explored on the Visit Wales website Girls’ weekend getaway in Wales | Visit Wales

#GirlTrip #StDavidSDay #StNonSDay #tourism #VisitWales