Find out what’s on in South Wales this week
Join Sir Tom Jones as he returns to home soil to discuss the ups and downs of his five decade long career in show business (Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Mon 12 Oct. Tickets: £35-£75). We expect an abundance of Elvis stories, as well as exclusive live performances of songs of significance to the man himself.
Beginning Sun 11 with a True Stories Told Live evening at Waterloo Tea, Penarth Book Festival is back with a host of events running all week. From classic film showings, to book readings, talks and debates, Penarth Book Festival aims to please adults and kids alike. (Various venues, Penarth, Sun 11 Oct-Sun 18. Tickets: Free)
Grab yourself a ticket for the Rugby Union World Cup Quarter Finals taking place in Cardiff (Millennium Stadium , Cardiff, Sat 17-Sun 18. Tickets: Check online). If you can’t get your hands on a much sought after ticket, head into any of Cardiff City Centre’s pubs where the atmosphere will surely match that of the stadium on match day.
For all you voracious consumers of vintage clothing, head down to V Is For Vintage (The Depot, Cardiff. 12-9pm. Admission: £2) Watch as the adaptable space in The Depot becomes a vintage clothes market, from 50s threads to 90s sportswear.
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House will take stage at Sherman Cymru this week. Directed by Rachel O’Riordan, the play centres around the life of Nora, a middle class housewife who appears to be content with family life until secrets emerge and their lives begin to unravel (Sherman Cyrmru, Cardiff. Fri 9-Sat 24 Oct. Tickets: £10- £25).
This week Oktoberfest (Chapter, Cardiff. Wed 14-Sat 17. Admission: free) will be bringing you over thirty different beers from Bavaria and Franconia to help you ease out of the post summer blues. We are tantalisingly promised more details on which beers to expect from their Twitter feed as the event draws nearer.
Make sure to catch Molly Parkin’s latest exhibition In Landscape as part of Swansea International Arts Festival (Galerie Simpson, Swansea, until Sat 14 Nov. Admission: free). See the beautiful landscapes and seascapes of South Wales through the eye of Molly, influential artist and self confessed valleys girl.
Test your nerve this week at St. Fagans Castle Ghost Tour (National History Museum, St. Fagans. Thurs 15, 7pm. Tickets: £15). Informative guides offer torch lit tours through the castle telling of centuries old superstitions about death, mourning and ghosts.
Celebrating Italian culture and cinematography, this week sees the first Italian Film Festival Cardiff come to Wales. On Friday, Lo Sto Con La Sposa (On the Bride’s Side) and Paolo Zucca’s L’arbitro(The Referee) will be screened at Penarth Pier Pavilion followed by a Q&A with their directors (Penarth Pier Pavilion, Penarth. Fri 16 Oct. Tickets: £6.50-£7.50).
Cardiff’s International festival of photography, Diffusion, is returning to Cardiff this time under the banner ‘Looking For America’. Taking place over a variety of venues across the capital, the festivals 25 exhibitions and upwards of 60 artists will explore the relationship between Wales, the American Dream and the wider world (Various venues, Cardiff. Thurs 1-Sat 31 Oct. Tickets: individual events priced separately/ some events free).
words MARCUS HUGHES
