Wales’ biggest ever festive lights trail is joining forces with two of its leading charities, AP Cymru and Cardiff City Hospice, ahead of its return to Cardiff this winter. Christmas at Bute Park is marking International Day of the Charity (Sept 5th) with confirmation it has appointed both organisations as key partners for its 2022 event.
During its debut outing in 2021, tickets enabling over 3000 people to attend Christmas at Bute Park in Cardiff were offered to charitable and other organisations across South Wales.
With dates now lined up with Cardiff Council for the event to stay in the city for at least another three years, organisers are now working to deepen their support for local communities across the region.
This year, the event will be providing complimentary tickets to at least 30 charitable groups, and also working closely with AP Cymru and Cardiff City Hospice as its key charity partners. Christmas at Bute Park wants to make the experience as magical as it can, for as many people as it can.
AP Cymru will be providing the Christmas at Bute Park team with training around neurodiversity, making sure that children, young people and their families have the support they need to experience the event in a way best suited to their individual sensory needs.
Karen Mills, Charity Founder and CEO, said: “I’m really delighted that the organisers approached AP Cymru, The Neurodiversity Charity, as a key partner for this spectacular event and we’re excited to be working with them to help make it the best festive event in Wales. Our training and consultancy team are expecting hundreds of children, young people and their families to be able to enjoy a magical Christmas experience, as something that may not have been as accessible during the previous year, as a result”
City Hospice will meanwhile be working with Christmas at Bute Park to support families affected by bereavement amid this year’s festivities, at a special remembrance event ahead of the light trail opening to the general public.
Amanda Fenton, Fundraising and Marketing Director at City Hospice said: “Whilst Christmas is a joyous time for most people, for those dealing with the loss of a loved one, it can also be an incredibly difficult time too. We’re really grateful to the Christmas at Bute Park team for working with us to make sure families affected by bereavement are given the space they need to enjoy the experience, whilst still holding the loved ones they have lost close at heart too.”
Christmas at Bute Park takes visitors on a breath-taking tour of festive delight around one of the capital city’s most beloved landmarks, and welcomed more than 140,000 visitors to its debut event in 2021.
During that time, more than 1,450 tickets were donated to communities, families and residents through Cardiff Council Play Service’s ‘Big ticket giveaway’, 800 tickets via Cardiff Foodbank, and 200 free and 900 discounted tickets offered through the Winter of Well-being initiative run by Child Friendly Cardiff.
Now Christmas at Bute Park is set to shine brighter than ever in 2022 as the award-winning event prepares to follow up its sell-out debut in 2021 with an exciting ‘hypnotic laser journey’, an ‘epic orb of iridescent colour’ and a whole lot more on offer.
Roxy Robinson, Creative Director at From The Fields which produces the trail, said: “These key charity partnerships are just one of the many ways we are building on our work with local businesses and communities in 2022 to bring about a magical experience from start to finish, for everyone.”
“The work both AP Cymru and Cardiff City Hospice do to support families within their respective communities is as awe inspiring as it is vital to those relying on their services, and we feel honoured to be partnering with them both for the 2022 event.”
Cllr Jennifer Burke-Davies, Cardiff Council Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, said: “Christmas at Bute Park is a fantastic event, but the real Christmas magic is in this partnership with AP Cymru and Cardiff City Hospice, and the complimentary tickets being generously provided, which will make the event accessible to even more people across Cardiff.”
From December 1st, Bute Park will be taken over by a stunning array of festive lasers, neon trees and flame-lit light installations that will remain open to visitors until January 1st.
Organisers will also be raising money for Bute Park Projects, which last year funded new percussion and play equipment that have now been permanently installed in the grounds.
The 2022 event expects to welcome around 150,000 visitors, with the 1.4km route fully accessible to those with wheelchairs and prams, aiming to offer an inclusive celebration of Christmas for all the family.
