As the Christmas season draws to a close and we eagerly await the arrival of 2026, the spotlight shifts to the main event: New Year’s Eve in Cardiff! If you’re ready to bid adieu to 2025 in style, Cardiff is the place to be. From glamorous dinners to pulsating clubs, the city’s vibrant nightlife scene has everything you need to usher in the New Year with a bang (and perhaps a cheeky cocktail or two). Let’s explore the best Cardiff New Year Events, parties, and top tips to ensure your New Year’s Eve is an unforgettable one.
This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase or sign up for anything from this website, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Cardiff New Year’s Eve 2025
New Year in Cardiff comes alive with a contagious buzz of excitement. The streets are adorned with twinkling lights, and the air is filled with the promise of joyous celebration. This is a perfect way to gather your loved ones, including the little ones. Whether you’re heading to a glamorous party, a delectable dinner, or simply soaking up the festive atmosphere, Cardiff’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are designed to cater to everyone, regardless of age.
New Year’s Eve is on Wednesday 31st December 2025.
Table of Contents
FREE Visit Cardiff Checklist & Guide
Get your FREE Visiting Cardiff Checklist and Guide with over 25 pages full of travel tips, how to get around, places to visit, food and drink, shopping, parks and green spaces, some Welsh phrases and a travel itinerary.
Cardiff New Year Events
Christmas at Bute Park 2025
The best Christmas lights in Wales are Christmas at Bute Park Cardiff. This year, the light trail takes place until 31 December 2025. Dazzling light displays, interactive installations, a flickering fire, and an enchanting fairy-tale forest take over the park. Additionally, some of the best street food vendors are also available for enjoyment. Get your Christmas and New Year’s Eve tickets now!
🐾 Dog friendly
Cardiff Winter Wonderland
The annual Christmas Winter Wonderland is in the heart of the city centre, on the City Hall lawns. The Christmas festival will have familiar funfair rides, games, and a big wheel. There’s plenty of food on offer, too. The Ice Rink and Ice Walk are within the grounds of Cardiff Castle. Both are suitable for all ages and abilities. Penguin aids are available for children. On New Year’s Eve, it is open until 10pm.
🐾 Dog friendly in the castle
Cardiff Castle Free Entry
Cardiff Castle Prices: If you live or work in Cardiff, you can get your own Key to the Castle. Admission grants you entry to a selection of lavishly decorated rooms in the Castle Apartments, The Norman Keep, Battlement Walk, Wartime Shelters, Firing Line: Cardiff Castle Museum of the Welsh Soldier, Interpretation Centre, and audio guide (subject to availability), as well as the Cardiff Castle Grounds. The castle key is valid for three years.
Cardiff Ice Bar
The Ice Bar is the coldest ticket in town. Inside, it’s minus 10 degrees and has over 17 tonnes of ice. Warm up afterwards with a mulled wine, mulled cider, or your drink of choice at Sur la Piste.
500 Years of Christmas
Step into 500 years of festive history at Tredegar House, where twinkling lights, a magical atmosphere and more than 80 decorated trees set the scene. Wander through the rooms and discover how the Morgan family marked Christmas across the centuries – from Tudor feasts and Victorian traditions to the 1950s, when St Joseph’s School called the house home. It’s a beautiful journey through the evolving customs that shaped Christmas at Tredegar House. Entry is free for National Trust Members.
Cardiff New Year’s Eve Fireworks 2025
One of the highlights of New Year’s Eve in Cardiff is watching the skies light up at midnight. Whilst there’s no longer a free firework display – which used to be on City Lawns in the centre, there are vibrant events in Cardiff.
Cardiff Bay New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Lo Lounge with live entertainment and fireworks. There’s street food, grazing boards and even a bottomless drinks option. As they look over Cardiff Bay, you’ll have the best view of other fireworks in the area.
Family New Year Celebrations in Cardiff
There are over 50 ideas on this list of things to do in Cardiff for free, and you can do them on New Year’s Eve. If you’re looking for a bit of culture, there are several museums in Cardiff that are free to visit. Or explore Insole Court, an iconic house and gardens in Llandaff.
Panto and Theatre
The New Theatre is the home of the pantomime in Cardiff. The 2025 panto is Sleeping Beauty with Gethin Jones, Owain Wyn Evans and Mike Doyle. The show will be packed full of classic pantomime ingredients and innuendo. On New Year’s Eve, there is a show at 1pm and 5pm.
The Cardiff Christmas Festival and its iconic Spiegel Theatre is in the grounds of Sophia Gardens in the centre of Cardiff. Christmas shows include Jack Frost: A Magical Christmas Musical, A Christmas Carol, Festive Fantasy, Bring Them Home For Christmas and The Rat Pack: A Swingin’ Christmas – to name just a few. It’s ideal festive entertainment for the whole family or for spending time with friends.
Family Parties
At Future Inn Cardiff Bay, there’s a family New Year’s Eve party. With a 3-course buffet, with lots of options for children and a party DJ. There’s even a glass of Prosecco for the adults at midnight. £65 per person, £45 for under 12s, and under 2s complimentary.
Also, in Cardiff Bay is Voco St David’s. You’ll be in for a seriously good party with
a five-star buffet experience in the Dylan Thomas suite, surrounded by great company and live entertainment. Adults are £99 and children are £49.
New Year’s Eve Dinner Cardiff
Cardiff is a foodie’s delight. From the quality of the produce to the level of cooking, at both the casual and cheap eats, Cardiff is staking a serious claim to being one of the most exciting places to eat in the UK.
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon teas consist of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, cakes, and sweet treats. They’re ideal for enjoying New Year’s Eve. There’s even an afternoon tea at sea.
- Afternoon tea in Cardiff
- The Best Afternoon Tea in Bridgend
- Afternoon tea in Caerphilly
- Afternoon tea in Pontypridd
- Dog Friendly Afternoon Tea Spots in South Wales
Get 50% off food in Cardiff
If you love food and drink, do you have a Tastecard? You get up to 25% off the food bill or two meals for the price of one. There are over six thousand participating restaurants across the UK. Get a 60-day free trial here:
Places to Eat in Cardiff
From breakfast to brunch, quick bites at lunch and casual dining to fancy dinners, there are some fantastic restaurants in Cardiff. Consider some of these for your New Year’s Eve lunch or dinner.
Need further inspiration? Start with a Turkish breakfast at The Sultan. Or Vivo Amigo is a fusion Mexican restaurant known for their bold flavours and quality ingredients. Come together around a simmering pot with various raw ingredients, which you cook yourself at Hotpot Spot.
Brother Thai should be your go-to restaurant if you love street food and want your taste buds to pop. Labelled as the most romantic restaurant in Cardiff, sink your teeth into the Prix Fixe menu at Maison de Boeuf. If you’re in the mood for authentic Turkish cuisine and Mediterranean flavours, check out Lezzet.
Cardiff By Night
You are always guaranteed a good time in Cardiff. If you want to go out on New Year’s Eve in Cardiff, expect to buy an entrance ticket in advance, including local pubs and clubs. However, most hotels will have a party night, including food and entertainment. There are plenty of places to get a celebratory drink and listen to live music. Check out the best bars in Cardiff.
There are eight Wetherspoons in Cardiff, serving budget food to real ale and cider. What if you could take your four-legged friend with you, too? There are over 60 dog friendly pubs in Cardiff.
New Year Party in Cardiff
Want a stricter dress code. These venues are dress to impress for a New Year celebration in Cardiff:
- The Village Hotel has a Jersey Boys Gala Dinner – £74 per person
- New Year’s Eve at Courts includes drinks, canapes, a 3-course dinner and circus entertainers – £110 per person
- NYE Comedy Show at Glee Club Cardiff with four comedians and a DJ – from £28 per person
- Shangri-La: Presents Morgan Seatree at DEPOT – from £20 per person
Best Cocktail Bars Cardiff
There are plenty of cocktail bars in Cardiff. There are neon dens, lounges, speakeasies and Instagrammable bars in Cardiff. The hidden bar, Dead Canary, is one of the best. Find the doorbell, and you’ll be ushered inside. The never-ending cocktail list at Be At One Cardiff is fun to work through. If you’re feeling sassy, head to Tonight Josephine Cardiff just off St Mary Street. There’s bold décor, a vast cocktail bar list and weekly bottomless brunch events led by the resident drag queens.
Bottomless Brunch in Cardiff
Unlimited Prosecco, free-flowing gin, beer or even cocktails, there are some incredible bottomless brunch deals in Cardiff. Popular bottomless brunch spots include Stable Cardiff, where you can have pizza, brownies and bottomless pints. Or the Latin-inspired bar, Revolución de Cuba, offers a boozy afternoon with cocktails and authentic Spanish, Mexican and South American dishes on the menu. Or the Philharmonic, a Cardiff institution. There’s also Slug and Lettuce or Browns in the city centre and Brook Bistro in Whitchurch.
Getting around Cardiff on New Year’s Eve
Taxis aren’t expensive on New Year’s Eve either; you can expect a £5 additional fare. Cardiff Bus is free throughout the day, and some routes run until 1am. If you choose to put money in the box, the driver gets to keep it. Did you know that Cardiffians thank the driver as they get off the bus? It’s just one of the things the Welsh say.
Transport for Wales now offers Multiflex, which gives you 12 journeys for the same price as 5 returns. With stops in Taffs Well, Radyr, Whitchurch, Llandaff North, Cathays, two in the city centre – Queen Street and Cardiff Central – plus Cardiff Bay. And who doesn’t want to save money to spend on New Year’s Eve?
Cheers to 2025: Make It a Night to Remember
Whether you’re sipping cocktails, being served a top menu, or counting down under the fireworks, there’s no better place to celebrate than Cardiff. So grab your group, make those bookings, and prepare to welcome 2026 with a bang.
Happy New Year!
Cardiff New Year Hotels
If you know when you’d like to travel, try to book in advance and as soon as possible. Prices rise the closer you get to the travel date. However, there is a vast array to accommodate all budgets.
easyHotel Cardiff
The easyHotel Cardiff is a 10-minute walk from the theatre. It has double rooms (with or without a window), accessible bedrooms and twin rooms. Found a short walk behind Cardiff Queen Street train station, the budget hotel has en-suite bathrooms, heated rooms in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. WiFi is free; pay and display and multi-storey car parks are nearby.
Radisson Cardiff
The Radisson Blu Hotel Cardiff is in the city centre. The 4-star hotel has smart TVs in the bedrooms, private bathrooms with complimentary toiletries, laptop-compatible safes, and limited onsite parking.
Dog friendly Hotels in Cardiff
Your perfect dog-friendly escape in Cardiff awaits! Before I had my rescue dog, Ivan, I didn’t think Cardiff was very dog friendly. How wrong was I? The dog friendly hotels in Cardiff include national chain hotels, budget brands, pubs and country houses.
Plan a Trip with Expedia
Booking a hotel via Expedia is a seamless experience that offers convenience and choice at your fingertips. With just a few clicks, you can browse through a wide array of cosy boutique hotels and luxurious resorts tailored to your preferences and budget. Compare prices, read reviews from fellow travellers, and explore amenities, ensuring you find the perfect place to stay for your trip.
Create your Itinerary
Using TripAdvisor when booking a hotel allows you to access a wealth of reviews and ratings from fellow travellers, helping you make an informed decision on where to stay while also providing recommendations and insights on planning things to do during your trip.
National Trust Holidays
National Trust Holidays offer a selection of holiday cottages, campsites and bunkhouses set in spectacular locations. They have everything you need for a night away, from kitchen facilities to cosy gardens to relax in during warmer weather.
Cottages and Houses
The award-winning business, Sykes Cottages, has properties across the UK, and the ones near Cardiff are beautiful, from cosy lodges with traditional woodburning stoves to contemporary accommodation with a hot tub. With all the amenities you could need, including parking, WiFi and many dog-friendly places, check out Sykes Holiday Cottages.
The surrounding areas
Don’t be afraid of staying out of central Cardiff, either. Penarth, Barry, Caerphilly, Pontypridd, and Merthyr Tydfil are the surrounding areas connected by regular buses and trains. You can also plan with LastMinute.com. Stay at great hotels at a fraction of the price.
FREE Visit Cardiff Checklist & Guide
Get your FREE Visiting Cardiff Checklist and Guide with over 25 pages full of travel tips, how to get around, places to visit, food and drink, shopping, parks and green spaces, some Welsh phrases and a travel itinerary.
Follow Me on Social Media
Follow me on social media: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
Want to be the first to read my latest blog posts? If you have enjoyed reading about New Years Eve in Cardiff, you can stay updated with my other Cardiff, South Wales and travel features by signing up to my mailing list:
Related Articles
Christmas gifts for travel lovers
Weird and Wonderful Welsh Christmas traditions
