FESTIVALS IN THE BRECON BEACONS NATIONAL PARK
Our annual festivals celebrate our very best walking, food, drink, arts, music and entertainment the National Park has to offer. We like nothing better than a good get-together, and all are welcome. Come and join us!
MARCH
Crickhowell Walking Festival
www.crickhowellfestival.com
Crickhowell is home to one of Wales’ best-known walking festivals. Taking place over ten days in early March, it features a great variety of guided walks plus talks from eminent guests and a twmpath, a traditional Welsh ceilidh-style knees-up.
MAY
Talgarth Walking Festival
www.talgarthwalkingfestival.org
Founded in 2013, this active gathering will have you exploring the countryside around Talgarth and learning something new about the landscape.
MAY
Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts
www.hayfestival.com
Hay-on-Wye is rightly famous for this superb event which celebrates contemporary literature and intelligent discussion. The concept may be unashamedly highbrow, but the festival definitely has a fun side, with plenty of humourists in attendance, tasty food on offer and lively musical events at fringe venues. The formula has proved so successful, it’s spread from Hay to places as far-flung as Lebanon, Mexico and the Maldives.
AUGUST
Brecon Jazz Festival
www.breconjazz.com www.breconfringe.co.uk
If you like listening to mellow jazz in relaxed surroundings, you’ll love the Brecon Jazz Festival. Over the years, greats such as George Melly, Humphrey Lyttleton, Cleo Laine, Van Morrison, Amy Winehouse, Courtney Pine and Jools Holland have performed here. It’s flanked by the Brecon Fringe Festival, which brings together masses of musicians for gigs and family events in over 30 venues in and around Brecon. Take it away!
AUGUST
Green Man Festival
www.greenman.net
A fantastic four-day event in a beautiful, rural setting. From humble beginnings, it has grown to become the biggest music festival in Wales. Recent headliners include Mogwai, Van Morrison and Band of Horses, and acts who have taken part in the past include Mumford and Sons, Billy Bragg, Jarvis Cocker and Spiritualized. Good food, art installations and bonfires set the scene.
AUGUST
Talgarth Festival of the Black Mountains
www.talgarthfestival.org.uk
In Talgarth, you can join the locals as they celebrate the August Bank Holiday weekend with a free family day out, featuring food, music and entertainment.
SEPTEMBER
Abergavenny Food Festival
www.breconbeacons.org/food-festivals
Abergavenny's weekend-long festival of food, drink and foraging already has an excellent reputation and, like good wine, it gets better every year. Expect stalls, demos, talks and fascinating activities such as guided wild food walks.
OCTOBER
Brecon Arts Festival
www.artbeatbrecon.org
October is all about art and crafts in Brecon, with a stimulating programme of exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations, open houses, pottery, glassmaking and drawing sessions, plus poetry, theatre and lots of handmade goodies to buy.
OCTOBER
Brecon Food Festival
www.breconbeacons.org/food-festivals
This one-day event is a great opportunity to exercise your tastebuds. It seeks to boost the local food and farming industry by raising awareness of what’s available. Centred on Brecon’s Market Hall, it spills out all over town.
OCTOBER
Hay Walking Festival
www.haywalkingfestival.com
A popular festival which runs for five days and features plenty of group walks, some short, some long, around Hay-on-Wye and the Black Mountains. Themes include foraging, navigation, Nordic walking, geology, archaeology and ancient churches.
Monmouthshire Walking Festival
www.walkinginmonmouthshire.org
Spread over ten days, this friendly festival invites you to discover the peaks of Bal Bach, Chwarel-y-Fan, Crug Mawr and Hay Bluff, as well as Offa’s Dyke, the Wye Valley, Llanthony Priory and Capel-y-Ffin. Expert guides will chat about plants, folklore and local history.
NOVEMBER
Hay-on-Wye Winter Food Festival
www.breconbeacons.org/food-festivals
Held on a Saturday, this celebrates all that’s good about winter cooking, with stalls from local producers and free musical entertainment.
NOVEMBER
Hay Festival Winter Weekend
www.hayfestival.com
Inviting you to eat, think and be merry, the Winter Weekend is an offshoot of the Hay Festival. Talks, comedy, music, mulled wine, mince pies and classy Christmas shopping.
All year round
Outside festival season, our performance venues continue to offer a full programme of events. To find out more, visit our Performing arts and entertainment page.