Watch St David's Day 2022 celebrated in Barry's Kings Square

Throughout the day hundreds of people flocked to Kings Square and part of Holton Road for the festivities to celebrate Wales' patron saint.

From 10am to 4.30pm there was live music, street entertainment, and an abundance of stalls offering Welsh produce from Barry and beyond. 

Pupils from local schools performed - including the ladies choir (côr merched) from Ysgol Bro Morgannwg and youngsters from Ygsol Gymrag Sant Baruc.

Performances also included:

• Sorela Acaeplla Trio;
• Barry Male Voice Choir;
• The Rock Choir;
• Mali Haf.

Barry Male Voice Choir perform at St David's Day Barry

SWANK Street Theatre joined in with the fun - as comical damsels with dragons; they performed in the town years ago as part of the festive season and said it was "great" to be back. 

Artistic Director at SWANK Street Theatre, Cathy Peace, said:

“It’s great to be back and to see people – I think we’ve all been desperate for fun. The little tots in their costumes have given it the cute factor.”

SWANK Street Theatre having fun at St David's Day Barry

Kitsch and Sync also added some theatrical flair to the fun, with Welsh Lady walkabouts in the square and surrounding areas.

Plus, a 12-foot interactive Welsh dragon made an appearance, turning many heads.

The square was transformed into a market showcasing produce from local traders – and independent businesses from further afield – who thought it was “lovely” to see people out and about enjoying themselves.

Wild Botanic [and Wild Rituals] based on Holton Road had a stall being looked after by Kara Bennett.

Kara Bennett of Wild Botanic [and Wild Rituals] at St David's Day Barry

Ms Bennett said:

“It’s lovely to see people come out to celebrate and the kids look so cute.

"People are ready to go back out and connect and it's so nice to see people out for a community event.

"Together is better."

A variety of stalls were based in the market square – including Welsh merchandise, jewellery, crafts, crystals food, drinks and more.

While there were familiar faces - including Num Nums #Barry and Barry Island Spirits - some traders were visiting from elsewhere to share their Welsh produce.

A stall for Juals Candles – previously based in Cardiff but now in Carmarthenshire - was offering hand poured artisan candles.

Julie Heycock at the Juals Candles stall

Julie Heycock was running the stall and said:

“It’s been lovely to see lots of people enjoying a nice day out.”

Kristen Billy, who was running the Red Room Confectionary stall at the event, added: “It’s a happy day – it’s nice to be outside and celebrate St David’s Day.”

St David’s Day in Barry was organised by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and funded by Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns initiative.

Cllr Lis Burnett, deputy leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, said:

“St David’s Day is such an important occasion in Welsh culture that we wanted to make our big celebration in King Square extra special.

“There was live music, featuring school choirs and other entertainers, and a local market selling the very best from local Welsh producers and craft makers.

“I hope everyone enjoyed the event, which celebrated our heritage and shone a spotlight on the best of Wales, from the brilliant local businesses to the wealth of talent we have on our doorstep.

“There are also a range of other events planned for the coming months, with full details available on the Visit the Vale website.”

To find out more about events in the Vale of Glamorgan go to www.visitthevale.com/events