New festival announced to celebrate St David’s Day

Amelia Jones

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is launching an exciting new cultural event with a festival celebrating St David’s Day.

The Little Things Festival will take place on Sunday 1 March in Carmarthenshire, from 10am to 4pm. It is a bilingual celebration of contemporary Welsh culture, creativity, and community.

This brand-new festival, made possible through funding from the Visit Wales St David’s Day Pilot Support Fund, draws inspiration from Dewi Sant’s final sermon in which he stated that the little things we do matter.

The event will transform the Botanic Garden into a landscape of discovery, where small moments of joy, creativity, and connection combine to create a truly spectacular experience.

Dr Lucy Sutherland, Director of National Botanical Garden of Wales, said: “St David’s Day is such an important celebration of Welsh culture, heritage and national identity. We’re grateful to Visit Wales for selecting us for this pilot support fund, which has enabled us to bring this vision to life. At the National Botanic Garden of Wales, we want to bring people together and help create special lifelong memories from the amazing experiences that they have in this inspiring landscape.”

Music from new artists

At the heart of the festival is an interactive bilingual trail winding through the garden, with hidden delights at every turn. Musical performances will bring life to both the main stage and intimate spots throughout the site, featuring exciting emerging artists from independent music scheme BBC Horizons/Gorwelion.

Project Manager at Horizons, Bethan Elfyn said: “I jumped at the chance to work with the Garden of Wales for this festival, as it’s a place I’ve visited many times, admire so much, and feel the incredible space will lend itself to a really special celebration for St Davids Day.

“Incredible spaces, landscapes and architecture are so important as an unforgettable backdrop to the music. I know the plants will respond and appreciate our showcase of new talent too! Look out for our coverage on social media throughout the day @horizonscymru on Instagram – as well as more details about the music on display”

Programme of activities

Festival-goers can immerse themselves in:

• Interactive creative and performance workshops celebrating contemporary Welsh arts and traditions

• Silent disco experiences

• Nature & Craft activities for all ages

• Showcases of creative work by local schools, developed with professional practitioners in preparation for the festival

Artist in residence: Nathan Wyburn

Visual artist Nathan Wyburn will be in residence throughout February, creating ten artworks of Welsh icons using unexpected and surprising materials. Wyburn’s work perfectly fits the festival’s theme – transforming humble small materials into spectacular large-scale art.

He said: “I’m very excited to be celebrating all things Welsh as a part of this festival. The garden is an Iconic destination in Wales, and my work focuses on icons! Expect a variety of ‘materials’ to be used from the landscape… soils and leaves, plus local produce sold in the gift shop like chocolate! It’s all going to be documented online for the whole country to see! I’m very excited!”

As well as unveiling the artworks he’s created, on the 1st March, visitors can watch Wyburn work on his final masterpiece live throughout the day.

As a fully bilingual event, the Little Things Festival celebrates Wales’ language and culture, with performances and activities in both Welsh and English.

Tickets will be priced at £12 for adults and £6 for kids.

You can follow along with the latest information on the festival here.