The Biggest Events, Gigs, Sport and Halloween Attractions for 2026
October is shaping up to be one of Cardiff’s busiest months of the year, with major concerts, international sport, comedy, theatre, festivals and a huge programme of Halloween events taking place across the city.
Cardiff Music City Festival returns from 2 to 17 October, bringing together Llais, the Welsh Music Prize and Sŵn alongside standalone gigs across the capital. There are also arena shows from Westlife, Russell Howard and Kevin Bridges, two Cymru internationals, the Cardiff Half Marathon and plenty happening once Halloween arrives.
MUSIC & FESTIVALS
Acid Casuals: 20 Years of Omni
Cardiff Music City Festival officially opens with cult Welsh favourites Acid Casuals, featuring Super Furry Animals’ Cian Ciarán and Kev Tame. The band will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their acclaimed album Omni by performing it live from beginning to end for the first time ever, making this a unique opening night for the two-week city-wide festival. Cardiff Music City
Location: Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Date: 2 October 2026
Ibibio Sound Machine
Ibibio Sound Machine bring their energetic mix of West African rhythms, electronic music, disco and post-punk to Womanby Street as part of Cardiff Music City Festival. Led by Eno Williams, the band have built a reputation for explosive live shows, with Cardiff getting an intimate date at Clwb Ifor Bach alongside support from Ziyad Al-Samman.
Location: Clwb Ifor Bach
Date: 3 October 2026
Katherine Jenkins: 25 Year Anniversary Tour
Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins returns to Cardiff as part of a tour celebrating 25 years of her recording and performing career. The hometown date comes to the Wales Millennium Centre and forms part of a UK and Ireland anniversary run, bringing Jenkins back to one of Wales’ biggest stages for a special Sunday night performance.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre
Date: 4 October 2026
Yonaka
Brighton rock band Yonaka arrive in Cardiff during Cardiff Music City Festival, taking over Tramshed for one of the festival’s biggest standalone gigs. Known for combining alternative rock, pop and electronic influences, the band have built a strong live following across the UK and will bring their full headline show to the Grangetown venue.
Location: Tramshed
Date: 5 October 2026
Welsh Music Prize 2026
One of the biggest nights in the Welsh music calendar returns to Cardiff, celebrating the best albums made in Wales or by Welsh artists around the world. The ceremony will showcase the 15 shortlisted records alongside live performances from nominated and Triskel Award-winning artists, forming part of both Llais and Cardiff Music City Festival.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre
Date: 7 October 2026
Gwenno + Joe Webb Trio
Two acclaimed Welsh artists come together for a special double bill curated and hosted by broadcaster Bethan Elfyn. Cardiff-born Gwenno will perform alongside Welsh jazz pianist Joe Webb and his trio, with Webb returning to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama where he previously studied for a Cardiff Music City Festival homecoming show.
Location: Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Date: 8 October 2026
Laurie Anderson: Friends and Teachers
Pioneering American artist Laurie Anderson makes her first ever appearance in Wales with a special Llais performance. The Grammy-winning musician, writer and visual artist will present Friends and Teachers, drawing on portraits from her book-in-progress and reflecting on the people, ideas and encounters that have shaped a career spanning music, film, performance and technology.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre
Date: 8 October 2026
Blind Boys of Alabama + London African Gospel Choir
The legendary Blind Boys of Alabama join the London African Gospel Choir for a major Friday night Llais show. The Cardiff performance brings two celebrated gospel traditions together, with the London African Gospel Choir performing music associated with Paul Simon’s Graceland alongside one of the longest-running and most recognisable gospel groups in the world.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre
Date: 9 October 2026
DJ Yoda: 80s Mixtape Live
DJ Yoda returns to CULTVR with an immersive trip back through the 1980s. His live audiovisual show mixes classic tracks, video, turntablism and 360-degree visuals inside the venue’s dome, turning the performance into much more than a standard DJ set. The Cardiff Music City Festival event is presented in collaboration with 4Pi Productions.
Location: CULTVR, Penarth Road
Date: 9 October 2026
Sirens: Hosted by Lisa Hannigan
Lisa Hannigan brings together a remarkable collection of female voices for one of Llais’ centrepiece events. The evolving ensemble includes Charlotte Church, Bess Atwell, Amanda Bergman, Kate Stables, Landless, Jane Patterson and others, moving between intimate acoustic performances, layered harmonies and collaborative reinterpretations created especially for the Cardiff date.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre
Date: 10 October 2026
Buena Vista All Stars + Orchestra Baobab
Cuban and West African musical traditions meet in one of the standout international double bills of Llais. Buena Vista All Stars bring the rhythms and musical heritage of Cuba to Cardiff, while Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab combine Afro-Cuban sounds with Wolof, Mandinka and Serer traditions for a night built around decades of global musical influence.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre
Date: 11 October 2026
Melin Melyn
Welsh six-piece Melin Melyn headline a Cardiff Music City Festival show bringing together several emerging Welsh acts. The psychedelic, surf-rock and country-influenced band will be joined by Morn, Internet Fatigue, Betsan and Farai KD for a Beacons Cymru and Horizons collaboration at The Gate in Roath.
Location: The Gate, Roath
Date: 12 October 2026
The Wonder Stuff + Inspiral Carpets
Two of Britain’s best-known alternative bands from the late 1980s and early 1990s share the bill at Cardiff University. The Wonder Stuff and Inspiral Carpets bring a catalogue of indie favourites to The Great Hall, including music from two bands closely associated with one of the most distinctive eras in British alternative music.
Location: The Great Hall, Cardiff University Students’ Union
Date: 15 October 2026
Sŵn Festival
Cardiff’s multi-venue new music festival returns for three days, filling venues around Womanby Street and the city centre. The 2026 programme includes Bar Italia, Westside Cowboy, Working Men’s Club, Dove Ellis, HMLTD, Cardinals, Bel Cobain, Lucia & The Best Boys, Murkage Dave and dozens more artists from Wales and beyond.
Location: Multiple venues across Cardiff
Date: 15–17 October 2026
Wax Tailor: Solo Set + Video Show
French hip-hop and electronic pioneer Wax Tailor comes to Cardiff for what is billed as his only UK performance of 2026. Performing beneath CULTVR’s immersive dome, the show combines cinematic visuals with trip-hop, soul, jazz and hip-hop influences, with Napoleon Da Legend appearing as support for the final night of Cardiff Music City Festival.
Location: CULTVR, Penarth Road
Date: 17 October 2026
Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour
Westlife celebrate a quarter of a century together with two nights at Utilita Arena Cardiff. The anniversary tour promises a hit-filled set spanning the group’s career, from their biggest ballads to chart-topping pop singles, alongside newer material released as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.
Location: Utilita Arena Cardiff
Date: 19 & 20 October 2026
The Reytons
The Reytons bring their first major world tour to Cardiff following another rapid rise for the South Yorkshire indie band. Their Utilita Arena show comes as part of a run supporting fourth studio album A Love Letter To A Broken Town, with Cardiff sitting between arena and large-venue dates across Britain and overseas.
Location: Utilita Arena Cardiff
Date: 23 October 2026
Freya Ridings: Mother of Pearl Tour
Singer-songwriter Freya Ridings begins October at the New Theatre with her Mother of Pearl tour. Best known for the huge success of Lost Without You, Ridings brings her piano-led pop and distinctive voice to Cardiff for a seated theatre show on the first night of the month.
Location: New Theatre Cardiff
Date: 1 October 2026
THEATRE, COMEDY & LIVE SHOWS
Dirty Dancing
The iconic love story of Baby and Johnny comes to the Wales Millennium Centre as Dirty Dancing returns to Cardiff. Based on the much-loved 1987 film, the stage production features plenty of impressive dance routines and a soundtrack packed with favourites including Hungry Eyes, Hey! Baby, Do You Love Me? and, of course, (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay
Date: October 2026
Welsh National Opera: La bohème
Welsh National Opera opens October with Puccini’s La bohème, one of opera’s most enduring love stories. Set among struggling young artists in Paris, the production follows Rodolfo and Mimì as romance, poverty and illness collide. The Cardiff run began in September but continues with two final performances during the opening days of October.
Location: Wales Millennium Centre
Date: 1 & 3 October 2026
Balloon Girl
Sherman Theatre presents a major new family production inspired by the true story of Louisa Maud Evans, Cardiff’s real-life “Balloon Girl”. Written and directed by Hannah McPake, the adventure travels through around 2,000 years of Welsh history, encountering Romans, Vikings and Victorian Cardiff along the way. The production is suitable for ages eight and over.
Location: Sherman Theatre
Date: 9–24 October 2026
Alice Cooper: Devil on My Shoulder Book Tour
Rock legend Alice Cooper comes to the New Theatre for a different kind of show as he brings his memoir tour to Cardiff. The evening centres around stories from a career spanning more than five decades, combining conversation, memories and an audience Q&A rather than a traditional Alice Cooper concert.
Location: New Theatre Cardiff
Date: 11 October 2026
Russell Howard: Don’t Tell The Algorithm
Russell Howard brings his new stand-up tour to Cardiff for two arena shows. Don’t Tell The Algorithm strips things back to an audience, a comedian and the jokes, with phones and other distractions taken out of the equation. The second Cardiff night has already sold out, while an additional first show was added.
Location: Utilita Arena Cardiff
Date: 15 & 16 October 2026
Kevin Bridges: Here If You Need Me
Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges follows Russell Howard into Utilita Arena for another huge weekend of stand-up. The new show continues a run of tours that have attracted millions of ticket buyers worldwide, with both Cardiff performances forming part of an extensive sold-out UK arena tour.
Location: Utilita Arena Cardiff
Date: 17 & 18 October 2026
Wythnos Yng Nghymru Fydd
Frân Wen brings a new Welsh-language stage adaptation inspired by Islwyn Ffowc Elis’s classic novel to the Sherman. The production mixes romance, politics and speculative fiction as Ifan is propelled into two possible versions of Wales’ future, forcing him to confront what choices made in the present could mean for generations to come.
Location: Sherman Theatre
Date: 29 & 30 October 2026
Jonathan Pie: The End of the World According to Jonathan Pie
Comedian Tom Walker returns as furious fictional news reporter Jonathan Pie for a new live show at the New Theatre. The character takes aim at the headlines, politics and global events that have shaped the past decade, bringing Pie’s fast-paced ranting style from online videos to the theatre stage.
Location: New Theatre Cardiff
Date: 29 October 2026
The Stylistics
Philadelphia soul legends The Stylistics bring their catalogue of 1970s favourites to Cardiff on Halloween night. Known for their smooth harmonies and string-heavy soul sound, the group have remained a fixture on the touring circuit for decades and will close out the New Theatre’s October programme with a Saturday evening concert.
Location: New Theatre Cardiff
Date: 31 October 2026
Steve Backshall’s Deadly Live!
CBBC favourite Steve Backshall brings Deadly Live! to Cardiff for a half-term arena show packed with wildlife, science and live demonstrations. The production includes daring experiments, predators, dinosaurs, snakes and birds of prey, combining the themes of Backshall’s long-running television work with a large-scale stage show designed for family audiences.
Location: Utilita Arena Cardiff
Date: 28 October 2026
HALLOWEEN & HALF-TERM
Clearwell Farm Pumpkin Village
Clearwell Farm transforms into a huge autumn attraction throughout October, with pumpkin picking, street food, entertainment and thousands of pumpkins spread across the farm. Daytime sessions run across weekends and half-term, while evening Twilight Picking brings live music and a different atmosphere once darkness falls. The farm is located just outside the city centre at Michaelston-y-Fedw.
Location: Clearwell Farm, Michaelston-y-Fedw
Dates: Selected dates from 2–31 October 2026
Harvest of Horror
Once darkness falls, part of Clearwell Farm becomes an adults-only live-action scare attraction. Harvest of Horror features multiple horror zones including the village, a circus attraction, Terror Tunnel and Pump-King’s Barn, with actors, theatrical smoke, strobes and intense scares spread across ten nights in the run-up to Halloween.
Location: Clearwell Farm, Cardiff
Dates: 16–17, 23–24 & 26–31 October 2026
Halloween Creepy Crawlies
Cardiff Castle gets a family-friendly Halloween makeover during half-term with two days of Creepy Crawlies events. The attraction forms part of the Castle’s seasonal programme before its underground cinema takes over on Halloween itself, giving families a daytime option in one of Cardiff’s most historic settings.
Location: Cardiff Castle
Date: 28 & 29 October 2026
Halloween Nights at St Fagans
St Fagans gets a spooky makeover for its popular Halloween Nights, with the open-air museum staying open after dark for a series of family-friendly evenings. Visitors can explore the historic buildings by night, hear creepy tales from Welsh folklore and encounter Halloween characters along the way. Expect an atmospheric evening of ghosts, legends and seasonal activities across the museum grounds.
Location: St Fagans National Museum of History
Date: Selected nights during October 2026
The Manor After Dark: Dead Famous
De Courceys Manor hosts a glamorous Halloween party with DJ Katy Harriz, house classics and a suitably dark dress code. Guests are being encouraged to arrive dressed as famous icons who died too soon, with a prize for the best costume and late-night dancing taking over the manor on the Friday before Halloween.
Location: De Courceys Manor
Date: 30 October 2026
Halloween Underground Cinema
Cardiff Castle’s medieval Undercroft becomes an underground cinema for Halloween, with four screenings taking place beneath the city. The programme includes The Nightmare Before Christmas, Little Shop of Horrors, Hocus Pocus and The Descent, ranging from family-friendly Halloween favourites to full horror once the lights go down.
Location: The Undercroft, Cardiff Castle
Date: 31 October 2026
Tim Burton’s Universe by Mystery Ensemble
Halloween night at Llandaff Cathedral gets a gothic soundtrack as Mystery Ensemble performs music from the films of Tim Burton. The programme draws heavily on Danny Elfman’s work and includes music associated with Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd.
Location: Llandaff Cathedral
Date: 31 October 2026
CUE Halloween
House music promoter CUE returns to Y Plas for a huge Halloween day party spread across three rooms. The 2026 line-up includes Locky, M-High, Saoirse, Hidde Van Wee, Lucas Alexander, Oldboy and RTK Tarantino, with a separate stage takeover and music running from the afternoon into the evening.
Location: Y Plas, Cardiff University Students’ Union
Date: 31 October 2026
Halloween Murder Mystery Night
Cardiff Bay goes back to the 1920s for an interactive Halloween murder mystery. Guests become part of the story at Shawley Manor, questioning suspects and following clues after an evening of high society takes a deadly turn. The experience includes live performances, audience participation and a three-course meal as guests attempt to solve the crime.
Location: Hemingway Road, Cardiff Bay
Date: 31 October 2026
Also worth knowing about
Forage Farm Pumpkin Picking
Forage Farm returns with its popular pumpkin picking experience throughout October, with thousands of pumpkins ready to be picked straight from the patch. Alongside daytime visits, the farm’s Twilight Pumpkin Picking sessions return from 16 October, giving visitors the chance to explore the pumpkin fields after dark. There’s also plenty of autumn food and drink available from the farm shop and kitchen.
Location: Forage Farm, Cowbridge
Date: Throughout October 2026, with Twilight Pumpkin Picking from 16 October
SPORT
Principality Cardiff Half Marathon
Thousands of runners will take over the streets for the 23rd edition of the Cardiff Half Marathon. The 13.1-mile route takes competitors past some of the capital’s best-known landmarks including Cardiff Castle, Cardiff Bay Barrage, Wales Millennium Centre, the Norwegian Church and Roath Park, with large crowds expected around the route.
Location: Cardiff city centre
Date: 4 October 2026
Cymru v Norway
International football comes to Cardiff on the very first night of October as Cymru face Norway in the UEFA Nations League. Craig Bellamy’s side begin their home campaign in League A at Cardiff City Stadium, with the fixture forming part of a four-match autumn window against Norway, Denmark and Portugal.
Location: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: 1 October 2026, 7.45pm
Cardiff Rugby v Zebre Parma
Cardiff Rugby play their first home fixture of their 150th anniversary season under the Friday night lights. Italian side Zebre Parma provide the opposition in round two of the United Rugby Championship, making this the first competitive home appearance of Cardiff’s landmark 2026/27 campaign.
Location: Cardiff Arms Park
Date: 2 October 2026, 7.45pm
Cardiff Devils: October Home Games
The Cardiff Devils have a packed month at Vindico Arena, with eight home matches scheduled across October. Opponents include Manchester Storm, Glasgow Clan, Dundee Stars, Belfast Giants, Coventry Blaze, Sheffield Steelers and Guildford Flames. The game against Dundee Stars on 10 October will also form part of the club’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
Location: Vindico Arena
Dates: 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 24, 28 & 31 October 2026
Cymru v Denmark
Just three days after facing Norway, Cymru return to Cardiff City Stadium for another UEFA Nations League home match, this time against Denmark. It means Cardiff hosts two major international fixtures during the opening four days of October, with the Denmark match rounding off Wales’ opening autumn international window.
Location: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: 4 October 2026, 7.45pm
Cardiff City Women v Cardiff Met
Cardiff City Women face Cardiff Met in an Adran Premier derby at Cardiff International Sports Stadium. The Sunday afternoon fixture adds another major sporting event to an already packed 4 October, with tickets priced to make the match an accessible option for families and younger supporters.
Location: Cardiff International Sports Stadium
Date: 4 October 2026, 2pm
Cardiff City v Watford
Cardiff City welcome Watford for a midweek league fixture under the lights at Cardiff City Stadium. It is the Bluebirds’ first men’s home league match currently listed for October and gives supporters a Tuesday night fixture in Leckwith before another home game later in the month.
Location: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: 13 October 2026, 7.45pm
Cardiff Rugby v Hollywoodbets Sharks
South African side Hollywoodbets Sharks arrive at the Arms Park for Cardiff Rugby’s second home URC fixture of October. The Friday night game forms part of Cardiff’s 150th anniversary season and brings one of South African rugby’s biggest club sides into the heart of the city.
Location: Cardiff Arms Park
Date: 23 October 2026, 7.45pm
Cardiff City v Birmingham City
Cardiff City return home for a Saturday afternoon league fixture against Birmingham City. The match is the Bluebirds’ second men’s home game of October and lands during the first weekend of the school half-term period, making it one of the month’s bigger football dates at Cardiff City Stadium.
Location: Cardiff City Stadium
Date: 24 October 2026, 3pm
ALSO WORTH KNOWING ABOUT
The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival returns from 12 to 18 October, celebrating its 20th year with seven days of films, talks, filmmakers, parties and awards across Cardiff.
The National Museum Cardiff Silent Disco returns on 10 October, with an all-ages early session followed by an adults-only event beneath the museum’s dome.
October therefore packs international football, rugby, ice hockey, arena concerts, major festivals, theatre, comedy, family events and some of Cardiff’s biggest Halloween attractions into just 31 days.
