Cardiff: City prepares for Pride, Peter Kay, football and Blondie

Cardiff is gearing up for a big weekend, with events taking place across the city.

Pride Cymru 2023, Peter Kay, Blondie, Inspiral Carpets and Wales v Armenia are all set to draw big crowds.

Visitors are being urged to plan ahead, due to road closures and busy train services.

It is Peter Kay's big return to stand-up, while Pride will feature stars such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Steps' Claire Richards and Ian "H" Watkins.

The final of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition takes place at St David's Hall on Sunday, featuring Pembrokeshire soprano Jessica Robinson, and the Urdd Urban Games are also returning to Cardiff Bay this weekend.

An organisation representing businesses in Cardiff said it expects the city to "really benefit" from the weekend's flurry of activities.

Pride Cymru is back for 2023, with a jam-packed weekend of activities celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

The ticketed event features two live music stages, as well as a parade beginning outside Cardiff Castle at 11:00 BST on Saturday.

There will be road closures throughout the city centre, starting at 06:30 BST and ending at 22:30 BST on the Saturday.

Cardiff council and Traffic Wales websites will be kept updated with the latest information.

The Feeling, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Steps' Claire Richards and Ian "H" Watkins are among the big names set to appear.

A host of other performers, including local talent such as X Factor's Russel Jones Jr and Felicity Saunders will also be entertaining revellers.

Carolyn Brownell, interim executive director at FOR Cardiff - which represents businesses - said: "Pride Cymru is an important weekend for businesses and with the main event taking place in Cardiff Castle this year, we expect the city centre to really benefit from its impact.

"To encourage visitors to explore the city, FOR Cardiff have launched Cardiff's first Proud Exhibition - an audio-visual trail celebrating Cardiff's LGBTQIA+ community."

The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition sees countries compete against one another in the opera medium.

The 2023 finalists for the main prize are Welsh soprano Jessica Robinson, Scottish mezzo Beth Taylor, South African soprano Nombulelo Yende, Italian bass Adolfo Corrado, and South African mezzo Siphokazi Molteno.

The final will take place at St David's Hall on Sunday at 17:00 BST.

The popular comedian is touring once more, following a 12-year break from stand-up.

He cancelled his previous tour due to "unforeseen family circumstances".

He will be performing at Cardiff International Arena on 16 and 17 June.

The long-anticipated show debuted in Manchester in December 2022, and is set to travel around the UK until December 2025.

Officials at the Cardiff venue said the show will begin promptly at 20:00 BST each night.

"It's good to get back to what I love doing best, stand-up comedy and if there's ever a time people need a laugh, it's now," said Kay.

The American rock band will be performing at Cardiff Castle on Friday.

They will be supported by London-based The Molotovs, and the gig is due to begin at 19:30 BST.

Blondie has played six shows in the city over the past 25 years, but this will mark their first performance at the castle.

There are no scheduled road closures, but people travelling through the city centre are to be aware of traffic build-up around the castle when the event ends, council officials said.

The Wales team will welcome Armenia to Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night for a Euros 2024 qualifying match.

The side will be looking to secure another home victory and take one step closer to the tournament in Germany next year.

Kick-off is at 19:45 BST, but the Football Association of Wales advised supporters to arrive early for the sold-out fixture as more than 33,000 people are expected.

Alternative rock fans will not go unserved this weekend, as Inspiral Carpets perform at Tramshed on Friday.

The Manchester band are probably best known for giving Noel Gallagher his big break into the music industry as a guitar roadie.

The event will start at 19:30 BST and doors open at 18:30.

The event is returning to Cardiff Bay from Friday to Sunday after its successful debut in 2022.

Activities are set to include BMX, scooter, skateboarding, 3x3 basketball, bouldering and street dance.

The event is organised by Welsh youth organisation Urdd Gobaith Cymru and takes place at Roald Dahl Plass.

Football, music and Peter Kay fans are urged to plan ahead because there are fewer trains in and out of Cardiff eastbound on Friday as the Severn Tunnel - which links south Wales with London, Bristol and the south of England - is shut.

Journeys between London and south Wales on mainline services will take longer and not stop in Bristol - as trains will divert via Gloucester instead of using the tunnel.

There will be no trains between south Wales and Bristol so a bus replacement service will operate instead - but there are just two buses out of Cardiff to Bristol after 22:00 BST.

Transport for Wales has said it has planned one extra train to north Wales following the football international - with the last train from Cardiff Central to Wrexham will leave at 22:09 BST.

Cardiff council cabinet member for culture, parks, and events, Jennifer Burke, said: "Cardiff is a vibrant capital city and event-filled like weekends like this are a big part of that - they draw people to the city, and provide important support for the local economy.

"As usual, council teams will be working for Cardiff throughout the weekend to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible and hopefully we'll see lots of people out enjoying the sunshine and our amazing city."