A brand new Christmas attraction will be added to the festive fun in Cardiff this year. The Cardiff Castle Christmas Festival will see a specially-made Spiegeltent put up in the grounds of Cardiff Castle where it will show a Christmas ballet, family musical and comedy cabaret and burlesque.
Produced by Cardiff-based live events company Live Under the Stars and Jamboree Entertainment, Cardiff Castle Christmas Festival presents three ishows from Friday, November 25 to Sunday, January 8.
The shows include Rubicon Dance Company’s Nutcracker – the Christmas ballet with a Welsh twist; Santa’s Wish – a brand new magical musical adventure for the whole family; and Castellana – a jaw-dropping blend of world-class cabaret, circus, burlesque, and comedy.
Read more: Christmas At Bute Park light trail is returning to Cardiff for 2022
Performed in the ornate and intimate 570-seat Fortuna Spiegeltent within the grounds of Cardiff Castle, the Cardiff Castle Christmas Festival is an addition to Cardiff’s existing Christmas programme, which includes Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland, Christmas at Bute Park and Cardiff’s Christmas Market. It is created and produced by Richard Perry and John Manders, joint directors of Live under The Stars, whose most recent credits include the recent Cardiff Castle Jubilee Celebration Concert.
Richard said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing this magical entertainment experience to enhance the already fantastic Christmas provision in our capital city and we can’t wait to welcome audiences to the Castle this festive season. We’re proud to be showcasing local, national, and international talent and celebrating this wonderful time of the year in the heart of the city with locally inspired storylines, creative teams and performers.”
The European Spiegeltent (or magic mirrors) will be a spectacle in itself. It is a hand-hewn pavilion built from wood, cut mirrors, canvas, leaded glass, and detailed in velvet brocade. Each one is unique with its own name, personality, and style. Only a handful of these special tents remain in the world and The Fortuna, owned by Dutch company Van Rosmalen, is one of the most beautiful, playing host to some of the world's greatest performers and musicians.
Here's more information on the three shows being performed:
Rubicon Dance Company presents The Nutcracker: The Christmas Ballet with a Welsh Twist
Rubicon Dance Company presents its highly acclaimed full-length contemporary ballet of The Nutcracker - Wales’ first reimagining of its kind, featuring a rich cast of recognisably Welsh characters, including Uncle Idris, Bop Sheila & Bopa Linda and The Mari Lwyd.
The production also features the company’s signature showpiece Snowflakes as seen at Cardiff’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and featuring choreographer Jamiel Laurence’s unique take on dancing, tumbling, avalanching and flying snowballs.
Audiences are invited along for a magical ride through the William's Family Christmas. As we are taken into the dream world of our lead protagonist, Carys, her Uncle Idris will conjure up a battle, a snowstorm and his very own variety show, The Uncle Idris Show!
Opens November 25 for five performances only
Castellana
The brand new, jaw-dropping spectacle of Castellana is a blend of cabaret, burlesque and comedy with a hint of naughtiness with anthemic music and a storyline set in a magical mystical Welsh world filled with intrigue and suspense. World class performers will amaze, beguile, baffle and amuse as they deliver the ultimate Christmas Night Out in the intimate setting of the Fortuna Spiegeltent.
Prepare to be welcomed and delighted by the cheeky magicians, shapeshifters, high-flyers, fiery angels and dazzling demons of Castellana. As the magic and music intoxicates your senses, discover the stories and strange transformations of the people who came before you. Anything is possible for those who dare to leave their everyday lives behind and enter this timeless, risqué otherworld of miracles and wonder.
Castellana has its World Premiere on December 1 2022 and runs until January 8 2023. The show is suitable for those aged 16+
Santa’s Wish: A Magical New Musical
“On a cold winters night that crept into dawn, some fresh snow fell softly... a Snowflake was born...”
Snowflake the magical elf is in a really tricky spot. Santa’s sleigh has crashed and he is lost. Will you be able to help find Santa?
Can Snowflake the Elf conjure up a plan to get Santa home in time and save Christmas? Do the Magical Wish Jars hold the answer? Do you truly Believe?
This heart-warming family musical adventure, enriched with original songs, immersive storytelling and a sprinkling of circus magic is guaranteed to leave the whole family bursting with festive joy and happiness.
Santa’s Wish has its The World Premiere on December 2, and the show will run for a strictly limited season until December 24. The show is suitable for ages 3+
How to buy tickets
Tickets and information for Nutcracker, Castellana and Santa’s Wish is available via the Cardiff Castle Christmas Festival website at www.thecastle.wales
Early bird tickets are available until the end of August and start at just £7 for children for Santas Wish, £23 for Castellana and £21 for Nutcracker.
Read next:
