Cardiff Big Weekend

The Cardiff Big Weekend took place annually from 1993 to 2011, and in 2017 as part of the Cardiff Festival organized by Cardiff Council.^[1] The event was free, and lasted three days. As well as music over the weekend, there were fair rides on site, and firework displays.^[2]

Cardiff Big Weekend
Genre	Rock, Indie, pop, electronic, dance, hip hop, folk, experimental, metal, world
Dates	August (exact date varies)
Location(s)	Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Years active	1995–2011, 2017
Website	pridecymru.co.uk

In 2004 the Admiral Group began to sponsor the event, and continued to do so until 2011.^[3] This sponsorship led to the event later being titled the Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend.^[4]

Alongside the event a competition held by Cardiff Council's event team gave the opportunity for bands to perform at the Big Weekend. The Big Gig was launched in June 2011, and had a category for under 18s and over 18s. In 2011 there were over 60 entrants and the over 18 finalists competed at The Globe, Cardiff.^[5][6]

The Line Up

2017

Pride Cymru brought back the Big Weekend music festival and included their LGBT Pride Parade to reform it as 'Pride Cymru's Big Weekend'. Cardiff City Hall's Lawn, which was located at the end of the official Pride Parade route, was the venue.^[7]

Friday 25 August	Saturday 26 August	Sunday 27 August
Fun Lovin Criminals	Bright Light Bright Light	Charlotte Church
Last Orders	Tribute Bands (various)	Zervas & Pepper
Lost & Found		Blair Dunlop
AFISHAL & Judge Jules		Jordan Gray
		Leighton Jones

2012

The Cardiff Big Weekend, which is usually held the second weekend in August as part of Cardiff Festival, was "rested" for a year in 2012 due to the Olympic Football games taking place at the Millennium Stadium (in Cardiff) on 9 and 10 August.^[8] In 2013, the music festival was axed and replaced with a temporary 'Beach' area in Cardiff Bay's Roald Dahl Plass.^[9]

2011

Friday 5 August	Saturday 6 August	Sunday 7 August
Death Before Sunrise	Zong Zing All Stars	Ffred Jones
OK	Dom Duff	Edei
Attack! Attack!	Jazz Jamaica with Special Guest Myrna Hague	King Charles
Funeral For a Friend	Hayley Scarlett	Friends Electric
	Horace Andy & Dub Asante	Dodgy
	Vintage Trouble	Nerina Pallot
	Gabrielle	The Feeling

2010

Friday 30 July	Saturday 31 July	Sunday 1 August
Samoans	Maroon Town	The Lay-Lows
Racehorses	Wonderbrass	Rumer
Los Campesinos!	The Raghu Dixit Project	Pete Lawrie
The Blackout	The Congo Allstars	Fenech Soler
	Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos	The Phenomenal Handclap Band
	The Jolly Boys	Athlete
	Pee Wee Ellis and the Funky Assembly	Feeder
	Chaka Demus and Pliers

2009

Friday 31 July	Saturday 1 August	Sunday 2 August
Save Your Breath	Soukous Koumbele	Steve Appleton
The Joy Formidable	Peatbog Faeries	Absent Elk
Attack! Attack!	Chancery Blame & The Gadgo Club	The Leisure Society
Kids In Glass Houses	Melopark	Ebony Bones!
	Orquesta Cache	Camera Obscura
	Edward II	The Lightning Seeds
	Imelda May	The Zutons

2008

Friday 1 August	Saturday 2 August	Sunday 3 August
Park Bench Social Club	Pandemonium	Frizbee
Juice - with caller Dave Parsons	Natacha Atlas	Yoav
The Men They Couldn't Hang	Robert Maseko & The Congo Beat	Beth Rowley
	Ryland Teifi	Go Audio
	Grupo Lokito	The Automatic
	Prince Buster and the Delroy Williams Junction Band	Glasvegas
		Young Knives
		Ash

2007

Friday 3 August	Saturday 4 August	Sunday 5 August
PeeWee Ellis	SW Storm	Gethin Pearson
Bobby Kray	Los Skarameros	Colum Regan
Soul II Soul Soundsystem	The Soothsayers	Halflight
	Sierra Maestro	The Storys
	Jimmy Cliff	Ben Taylor
		Richie Havens
		Sandi Thom
		Magic Numbers

2006

Friday 4 August	Saturday 5 August	Sunday 6 August
The Selecter	Daisy Blue	Unkle Bob
Katrina (formerly of Katrina and the Waves)	Viva Machine	Mukka
The Alarm	Alongcameman	Foy Vance
	Memory Lane Music Mix Winners	Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young
	The Poppies	Terri Walker
	Cord	Stereo MCs
	The Crimea	Cerys Matthews
	The Infadels
	The Automatic
	Kubb

2005

Friday 12 August	Saturday 13 August	Sunday 14 August
		Beverley Knight

Line up also included Chesney Hawkes, Hazel O’Connor, The Christians and Modern Romance.

2004

Friday 30 July	Saturday 31 July	Sunday 1 August
Bad Manners	Red Dragon Roadshow	Cherry Falls
Chas 'n' Dave	Dynamo Dresden	D?booga
Howard Jones	Speedway	The Jews Brothers
	Zoot Woman	Caramelo Son
	The Delays	Rhian Benson
	The Fun Lovin' Criminals	The Brand New Heavies

2003

Friday 1 August	Saturday 2 August	Sunday 3 August
Big Mac's Wholly Soul Band	Red Dragon Roadshow	The Elephant is Gerald
Limahl	Ayra	Shod
Go West	LSK	King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys
	The Bees	La Bottine Souriante
	Athlete	The Proclaimers
	The Bluetones	The Waterboys

2002

Friday 2 August	Saturday 3 August	Sunday 4 August
Barker		Ray Davies

2001

Friday 3 August	Saturday 4 August	Sunday 5 August
Tommy & the Chauffeur	Red Dragon Roadshow	Nick Turner Allstars
Tetra Splendour	Maximum Roach	Black Umfolosi
Lostprophets	I am Kloot	Jazz Jamaica All Stars
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci	Kosheen	TBC ???
	EMF	Deacon Blue

2000

Friday 4 August	Saturday 5 August	Sunday 6 August
Kennedy Soundtrack	Nucleus Roots	Motimba
Baby Elephant	Rae & Christian	Kakatsitsi
Bench	Chumbawamba	Arrow
Manchild	Asian Dub Foundation	Victor Hugo & La Banda Picante
Ptang Yang Kipper Bang	Kris Jenkins	Aswad

1999

Friday 6 August	Saturday 7 August	Sunday 8 August
Rocket Gold Star	Red Dragon FM Party in the Park	Four Brothers
Cartoon	Indian Ropeman	Vocal Sampling
Quattro	The Herbaliser	Groupa Folia
Big Leaves	Afro Celt Sound System	Black Star Liner
		King Pleasure
		Nik Kershaw

1998

Friday 7 August	Saturday 8 August	Sunday 9 August
Armstrong	Red Dragon Roadshow	Loop Guru
Diesel Bug	Fisherman Walk	Mutton Birds
Manchild	Melys	Osibisa
Ether	Carrie	Leo Sayer
	Audioweb	Carleen Anderson
	Gene

1997

Friday August 8	Saturday August 9	Sunday August 10
Trippa	Red Dragon Roadshow	Christine Collister
Planet Loaded	Rachel Stamp	Tony Hadley
Revolva	Don	Sam Brown
The Blinders	Ether	Afro Celt Sound System
Stereophonics	Death in Vegas	Urban Species
	Dreadzone	Omar

1996

Friday August 9	Saturday August 10	Sunday August 11
Leighton Jones	James Taylor Quartet	Railroad Bill
Flow Motion	Super Furry Animals
Pocket Devils	Spice Girls
Dog	Pato Banton
	4 Man Do
	Upside Down

1995

Thursday August 10	Friday August 11	Saturday August 12	Sunday August 13
Dub War	A Night At The Opera	Chumbawamba	Carter USM
60ft Dolls	Time Flies House Party	Hugh Cornwall	Corduroy
Super Furry Animals		The Dharmas	FNAAZ
		Galaxy 101 Showcase feat Danii Minogue + The Spice Girls etc	Waste Ayinde Marshall
		The Underdogs	Backbone
		Fat Barry's Soul Band	H-Kippers

References

1. "Big Gig aims to give unsigned band a break to The Big Weekend". Wales Online. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
2. "Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend". Capital South Wales. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
3. "Beach fun". South Wales Echo. 1 May 2004. p. 13. ProQuest 342081068.
4. Price, Karen (1 May 2004). "Stars line up for summer in city". Western Mail. p. 16. ProQuest 341416253.
5. "Big Gig aims to give unsigned band a break to The Big Weekend". Wales Online. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
6. "Ffred Jones gears himself up for his Big Weekend". Wales Online. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
7. Kathryn Williams, This is the line up for this year's Pride Cymru Big Weekend event in Cardiff, Wales Online, 12 May 2017, Accessed 19 July 2017
8. "Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend cancelled because of Olympics". Wales Online. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
9. "Cardiff Bay to host Welsh capital's first summer beach". BBC News. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2017.

External links

• Cardiff Big Weekend
• Cardiff Festival
• 11 free festivals
• Cardiff Big Weekend details from BBC Wales
• Pride Cymru