The Welsh Museums Festival is making a return for the half term
holidays (Saturday 28 October – Sunday 5 November) with a week of
special events to celebrate the diverse history and culture of
our country.
More than 45 large and small museums across Wales are taking part
in the festival this week, offering a number of mostly free,
exciting and diverse activities for families – from a ‘climate
rave’ in Rhayader to a potion-making workshop in Ceredigion and
storytelling in Cardiff.
There will also be an exciting, new Wales History Trails
Passport Challenge, which will require museum-goers to visit
six museums - of their choosing - up until April 2024. Once all
visits are completed, passport holders can enter a special
prize draw to win two free National Trust family day passes and
wireless Bluetooth headphones.
In the lead up to the festival, the Deputy Minister for
Arts, Sport and Tourism, , had the opportunity to visit
the Firing Line Museum at Cardiff Castle.
The Firing Line is a military museum which tells the story
of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards and The Royal Welsh. It is one
of four accredited military museums in Wales and is taking part
in the Welsh Museums Festival.
A brand-new Halloween activity booklet will be available at
most participating museums, allowing young visitors to explore
the history of Halloween in Wales and across the world with games
and puzzles.
The Welsh Museums Festival is made possible by funding from
the Welsh Government. The festival is hosted by 45+ museums
throughout Wales as part of an ongoing initiative to increase
publicity and footfall for individual museums.
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, , said: “The Welsh Government
is delighted to fund the Welsh Museums Festival through the Welsh
Museums Federation.
“The festival is an excellent opportunity for us to
highlight the contributions of the local museums sector and
showcase the diversity of museums across Wales. With half term
taking place this week there are plenty of opportunities for
people to discover what their local museum has to offer.”
Rachael Rogers of the Welsh Museums Federation said: “The
festival is a great opportunity to showcase the amazing work done
by museums across the country. Our museums not only offer
visitors the chance to learn about our Welsh heritage, but they
also promote the Welsh language, and they offer free events in a
warm and welcoming space which is more important than ever."
The Welsh Museums Festival 2023 takes place between
28th October until 5th November. Full list
of participating museums and event listings can be found
at https://museums.wales/our-events/
