Welsh Museum Festival returns for half term

The Welsh Museums Festival is set to return for the half term holidays with a week of events to celebrate the diverse history and culture of Wales.

More than 45 museums across Wales are taking part in the festival from Saturday 28 October to Sunday 5 November.

There will be a number of mostly free, and diverse activities for families, including a ‘climate rave’ in Rhayader, a potion-making workshop in Ceredigion, and storytelling in Cardiff.

Wales History Challenge

The festival also includes a new Wales History Trails Passport Challenge, which will require museum-goers to visit six museums of their choosing up until April 2024.

Once all visits are completed, passport holders can enter a special prize draw to win two free National Trust family day passes and wireless Bluetooth headphones.

A new Halloween activity booklet will be available at most participating museums, allowing young visitors to explore the history of Halloween in Wales and across the world with games and puzzles.

The Welsh Government funded festival is part of an ongoing initiative to increase publicity and footfall for museums in Wales.

In the lead up to the festival, the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dawn Bowden, visited the Firing Line Museum at Cardiff Castle.

The Firing Line is a military museum which tells the story of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards and The Royal Welsh. It is one of four accredited military museums in Wales.

Dawn Bowden MS said: “The Welsh Government is delighted to fund the Welsh Museums Festival through the Welsh Museums Federation.

“The festival is an excellent opportunity for us to highlight the contributions of the local museums sector and showcase the diversity of museums across Wales.

“With half term taking place this week there are plenty of opportunities for people to discover what their local museum has to offer.”

Welsh heritage

Rachael Rogers of the Welsh Museums Federation said: “The festival is a great opportunity to showcase the amazing work done by museums across the country.

Our museums not only offer visitors the chance to learn about our Welsh heritage, but they also promote the Welsh language, and they offer free events in a warm and welcoming space which is more important than ever.”

The Welsh Museums Festival 2023 takes place between 28 October until 5th November.

 Full list of participating museums and event listings can be found at: https://museums.wales/our-events/