Find out what’s on in South Wales this week
It’s the time of year when Jazz artist from around the world descend on the town of Brecon. This year’s Brecon Jazz Festival (various venues across Brecon, Fri 7-Sun 9 Aug. Tickets: individual events priced separately) will include the hip hop jazz fusion of Robert Glasper, the genre defying GoGo Penguin and Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Dr John – as well as a number of other talented artists from the festivals’ lengthy line-up.
Brecon isn’t the only Jazz festival taking place this weekend as the Wall2Wall Jazz Festival (Various venues, Abergavenny, Fri 4-Sun 6 Sept. Tickets: from £19 / Blues Stage: £6 each afternoon Sat/Sun) takes over the Monmouthshire market town. Enjoy spectacular views, feast on scrumptious local cuisine and savour the diverse sounds of jazz (ragtime, latin, swing, gypsy, bebop, etc), blues and an a capella choir!
Jazz doesn’t make the focal point of all festivals this week, however, as the seventeenth annual Cardigan River and Food Festival (Quay Street, Cardigan, Sat 8 Aug. Admission: £2.50 / £1.00 under 16s / £6.00 family) takes place. Expect welsh produce, cookery demonstrations and live music.
Cardiff will also be getting a dose of festival spirit as the Cardiff Carnival (The Hayes + The Atrium – parade starting point, Cardiff, 8 Aug 2015. Admission: free) returns for the 26th year in a row. From 10.30am the carnival revelers will be taking to the stage at The Hayes, where there will be a showcase music and dance from lots of Cardiff’s movers and shakers, including 1920s jive from Lindy Hop Cardiff, belly dancing from Persian Belles and family-friendly burlesque from Cardiff Cabaret Club. The colourful parade will be leaving the Atrium at 3pm before dancing down the city centre’s popular streets.
The carnival spirit will carry on long after the parade, however, as Gwdihw plays host to the Official Cardiff Carnival Afterparty: Em Masse (Fat City @ Gwdihw, Cardiff, Sat 8 Aug. Admission: £3). Hosted by Fat City (a regular night known for its blaring funk, globally-mined aural diamonds, percussive bombs and general good cheer) the evening will get a Brazilian flair with a live set from En Masse. Be prepared to dance!
If you’re looking for a relaxing weekend how about some yoga for a good cause? The One Love Movement (The Abacus, Cardiff, Sat 8 Aug. Tickets: £10-£15) will be hosting a healthy retreat for charity that will include yoga sessions for beginners, families or experienced yoga-lovers. The money raised will be split between the organisations chosen charities and local homeless charity Huggard.
If you like your sport with a bit more oomph then you can always catch a bit of rugby. Wales take on Ireland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Sat 8 Aug. Tickets: sold out) as part of the Dove Men’s Test on Saturday. Tickets might be sold out but there will be plenty of places to catch the match, preferably with a drink in hand!
For movement that’s more tale telling than tackles, why not an award winning dance performance? Light, Ladd & Emerton present CAITLIN (Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Mon 3-Thurs 6 Aug. Tickets: £12.50 / £10.50 conc). The show – which follows Dylan Thomas’ wife, Caitlin, as she becomes part of the Alcoholics Anonymous group – won Best Dance Production at the Wales Theatre Awards 2015.
If you think Caitlin Thomas and her husband were controversial characters then you haven’t heard of artist Robert Mapplethorpe (Fri 7 Aug-Sat 7 Nov. Admissions: free), whose work will be displayed in Aberystwyth Arts Centre’s first Artists Rooms exhibition. Mapplethorpe, whose work often explored homosexuality and sadomasochism, sparked a nationwide debate about the public funding for the arts and freedom of speech back in the 1980s. His back catalogue wasn’t just sex, however, as he also photographed flowers and celebrities.
If you’d rather get your nerd on this weekend then why not pop along to Geekedfest (Newport Centre, Sat 8+Sun 9 Aug. Tickets: £4.50 day / £6.50 weekend / VIP and Family tickets available)? There will be a variety of exhibitions, interactive displays, Cosplay Competitions and much more. Special guests heading to the convention include Ian Mcelhinney (from Game Of Thrones, Virginia Hey (Mad Max 2: Road Warrior and Farscape) and contortionist Pixie Le Knot.