Wales Week in the Cultural Hub of London
Here at Wales International, we are always thrilled to meet with people as excited to connect the Welsh around the world as we are! We were lucky to meet Welsh businessman and co-founder of “Wales Week”, Dan Langford, to learn more about this event and the huge growth it has seen since it started.
Wales Week in London is an annual festival featuring a series of activities and events around St David’s Day with the aim to galvanise the Welsh communities in London and around the UK. It is a place where the Welsh community can educate guests of different backgrounds on their history, traditions and modern pop culture. Welsh organisations have the opportunity to extend their products, services, business, music, art, food, tourism, heritage, sport, public life, and media to the London Welsh community, as well as the international community that London attracts.
This year, Wales Week in London runs from the 23th February to the 9th March and the first day starts out with a tour of the Houses of Parliament, given in the Welsh language by BBC presenter and Welsh icon, Huw Edwards. The tour covers famous areas which include the medieval Westminster Hall, the Commons and Lords debating chambers, and the St. Stephen’s Hall where the suffragettes chained themselves to protest women’s rights in the early 1900’s.
The importance of the Welsh language continues be a theme throughout the week, with the Welsh Language Commissioner hosting an event to talk about charities that have improved their Welsh Language services and increased involvement, including NSPCC and Barnardo’s. There are also opportunities for entrepreneurs and business owners to network with speakers from NatWest, Darwin Gray and Business Wales and leaders of the Confederation of British Industry, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Institute of Directors, and the Federation of Small Businesses.
The business-related events over the course of Wales Week will cover a variety of topics, including security and social justice. The security event will present on security risks in today’s society of growing technology, and the effect that the Welsh community has on cyber security. It will also feature a debate amongst industry leaders on the intersection of Brexit and Information Security.
Aside from networking with business professionals, guests have the chance to attend discussions with high profile politicians and sporting heros, enjoy talks on cultural democracy and celebrate Welsh film, games, and television, and art. There is even the chance to wine and dine alongside Sam Warburton, the former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain. For light relief, guests also have an opportunity to see a film screening of comedic Welsh shorts, with a question and answer series from Rhod Gilbert.
While there’s so much to see and do, you are sure to work up an appetite around Wales Week in London! Don’t worry though, there is excellent Welsh food options throughout the event including pop-ups at famous Borough Market and Paddington Station, and input from fantastic Welsh chefs Bryn Williams and Tom Simmons who will be hosting events and running deals during the week.
And finally, don’t be afraid to sparkle with the Best of Wales Gala Ball complete with James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers, or any of the incredible St. David’s Day events. Throughout the week you can also catch multiple choir performances, highlights from the Welsh National Opera, and performances from the Gwalia Male Voice Choir.
If you want to book any tickets to any of this fantastic events mentioned above, visit the Wales Week in London website. You can find further details of the events on our calendar too.
Wales Week in London is not the only Wales Week happening this year – keep an eye on our social media to learn more about the following events, and ones yet to be announced:
- Wales Week à Paris
- Wales Week in Germany
- Wales Week in New England / Boston
- Wales Week in New York
- Wales Week in Essex
- Wales Week in Ohio
Wales International will be in attendance at both Wales Week in London and Wales Week à Paris and will be sharing the event live with you on our Twitter and Facebook. If you want to meet with us, contact our Marketing Manager Kat on marketing@walesinternational.cymru.
