Category: Local Events

Thinking of taking some time out with the kids with activities in Llandudno and want to spend a day getting in touch with your artistic side? There could be just the event for you lined up in the seaside town this March.

The Mostyn is the venue for an exciting day of workshops for all ages at the Family Art Club and is a place that is as famed for its beautiful architecture as it is the great events which are always held there.

Should you want to explore the arts of North Wales during your travels, there are fewer locations finer than Mostyn to do just that. Spanning across 6 galleries, you can expect some of the most enthralling contemporary works by the most promising Welsh talent as well as the masterful offerings by the established and respected artists.

The organisers always aim to provide the most thrilling and engaging exhibitions for people of all ages and cater specifically to schools and places of higher education in special groups to assist their learning. The scope of the exhibits is also impressive as they can range from small, independent projects to ones which have received national plaudits.

In addition to these great features, feel free to snoop around The Shop at Mostyn: constantly stocked with superb crafts from all over the country.  If you’ve spent a great day of exploring the arts on show, you are more than welcome to rest your feet at the Café and sample some delicious locally sourced produce.

The Family Art Club starts on the 9^th of March and in fact, continues every Thursday for the foreseeable future. If you’d like to spend an hour and a half learning in the company of loved ones, you could do little better than this fantastic occasion and as it only costs £5 per family, there’s no excuse to not get involved!

The seaside town of Llandudno is a real community and one that always comes together for a good cause as there are many fundraising events always taking place. The coming month is no different with plenty of worthwhile money-raising days out for you to get behind!

The first in a great line-up of events is the open day available at the Blind Veterans UK Centre on the 22^nd of February. A truly wonderful organisation that assists those in care the most with their sight, you are free to take a walk around the centre and find out more about the group as well as to sample some of the specialist equipment that is part funded by helpful donations. You can engage in activities which will help you to relate to how a blind person undergoes the day-to-day and is a great exercise for putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Admission is free but money towards the cause is always welcome.

Also at the event, one brave soul will be having their head shaved to raise money and also awareness. Pam Wilner is the willing recipient of a buzz cut and this amazing lady will be offering the chance for you to cut off her ponytail if you’re a lucky raffle winner. Dedication to the cause like this is what makes this group so special and their philanthropy reflects brilliantly on Llandudno as a whole.

Another event held by the brilliant organisation will be the pancake race on St David’s Day along Llandudno promenade on the 1^st of March. The course will take place from the War Memorial to the bandstand and also the return leg. If that sounds easy enough, then consider you’ll be flipping a pancake the whole way too! Special medals are awarded to the dextrous entrants who can manage to just complete the race with their pancake intact. With registration at just £5 for adults and children for £3, all are welcome to take part in the fundraising fun. Bring your own pan and they will provide the pancake!

For further information on any of these events, contact: [email protected] or if you’d like to donate to the head shave, visit: http://www.justgiving.com/pamwilner

After the rampant success of last year’s North Wales Choral Festival and many other music events throughout 2013, it’s little wonder that such attention is being lavished on the seaside attention for its evening’s entertainment – a reputation which is surely only to be enhanced by the upcoming Welsh National Opera.

Situated at Venue Cymru over five nights of stunning music, delve into a genre which you may have yet to. Or, if you’re an enthusiast of this classic style, then this occasion is doubtlessly not going to disappoint.

By their own admission, the organisers had such success in 2013 that it could be hard to emulate it this time but with their serious efforts to do so, it shouldn’t be too hard for the consummate professionals to deliver another landmark event.

The Chief Executive of the WNO, David Poutney, had this to say: “Our 2013/14 season presents a huge journey for us, the makers, and you, the audience. The climb is steep, the path sometimes challenging, but the views are spectacular. That is why we want to lead you there!”

As one of the premier locations for entertainment which can cater to the tastes of almost anyone, Venue Cymru regularly hosts high-profile events such as these and is a hotspot for music gigs throughout North Wales. Stepping onto the same stage that famous faces have graced in the past may prove daunting for some groups but the Welsh National Opera are likely to rise to the challenge.

On the 2^nd and 4^th of April, the opera will be performing Manon Lescaut: the heartfelt and often bleak tale of a young woman’s transition into adulthood. The conductor of this contemporised classic will be Lothar Koenigs.

The 3^rd of April brings with it the superb Boulevard Solitude to the coast of North Wales. “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams” tagline often associated with this play has had an impact on modern popular culture and is itself an unflinching look at the state of Europe Post-World War II. Lothar Koenigs again steps up to the conductor’s stand.

Rounding the weeklong event off on the 5^th as well as opening it on the 1^st of March, La traviata is a production which will live long in the memory as a tale of regret and mortality. A father attempts to reconnect with the estranged stepmother to her son but with her health failing, it’s a race against time to make up for the past. Simon Phillippo conducts proceedings.

Buy tickets: Venue Cymru

Two young and exciting chefs from Llandudno are set to compete in the North Wales heat of the National Chef of Wales competition later this month with strong opposition also coming in from other areas in the region.

Jack Davison of the St Tudno Hotel and Andreas Leisinger of the Imperial Hotel are two of the names set to go head-to-head in a thrilling contest to unearth the best chef in Wales. Held twice a year, this event is always a superb showcase for local and deserving talent.

The Imperial Hotel is a mainstay of the coastal town and receives rave reviews from the many visitors who stay each year. Boasting a stunning location and a wonderfully archaic aesthetic, the hotel is one of the finest establishments available with its functions and cuisine being of the highest standard.

Of equal acclaim, the St Tudno Hotel on North Parade is lauded for its fantastic customer service with one visitor going on to claim that it’s, “better than the Ritz”. A walk along its old halls will instantly remind you of this as the owners have taken the utmost care to keep it classic yet contemporary.

The two chefs from these two places of fine dining will be taking part in the culinary contest with plenty at stake for the winner. As well as claiming the title, the victorious chef will be granted a £2000 prize; brilliant for any up and coming chef to bolster their arsenal with.

January 13^th is the day pencilled in for the showdown at Coleg Llandrillo with some respected names and famous faces expected to be in attendance in this high-profile event which kicks off at 1pm. The Culinary Association of Wales are organising the cook-off and their president, Colin Gray, had this to say:  “Winning this competition should be the pinnacle for all chefs working in Wales. It provides a wonderful platform for chefs to demonstrate their culinary skills in the heat of a competition setting and at an event designed to showcase the very best that the country has to offer.”