Bored of being stuck in the library? Housemates getting on your nerves? The end of term is a fever dream of deadlines, late-night panic and Tesco meal deals that are definitely not in your budget. Christmas is coming close and so you need to make plans to look forward too so you end this semester on a high.
From cosy activities with your housemates to stacking it during ice skating, follow this 12-day guide to escape those deadline scaries, and have a great last two weeks of term in Cardiff.
Day One – Winter Wonderland
Starting strong, take a trip down to Winter Wonderland. Covered in bright, dazzling lights and a festive atmosphere, Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland is located right next to the Students’ Union. I’m sure you haven’t missed it.
Enjoy some drinks at the alpine-themed bar and have a go on the big wheel. Take yourself, your friends, or your date down to win prizes and enjoy some nostalgic funfair rides. You might come home with a prize or two.
Day Two – Watch a Christmas film
Why not treat yourself to a trip down to Cardiff Bay and indulge in a nostalgic Christmas film? The Everyman Cinema is showing ‘Elf’, a Christmas throwback. Or for a student-friendly option, Vue is showing it for £4.99.
Other films showing this week to get you in the Christmas spirit include: The Polar Express, Die Hard, A Muppet’s Christmas Carol and Love Actually.
Suppose you don’t fancy a trip to the cinema, cosy up at home. Get some hot chocolate and turn on the fairy lights, ready to indulge in some Christmas classics.
Day Three – Cardiff Christmas Markets
Cardiff’s Christmas market stalls have taken over the streets from Thursday, 13th November and run through to Tuesday, 23rd December. It features over 200 independent businesses across 70 stalls, ranging from food and drinks to art, making it a great place to buy last-minute Christmas gifts for your friends and family.
Indulge in some Bailey’s hot chocolate or a roast dinner in a Yorkie! Cardiff’s Christmas market has it all, and is a great activity to get you in the festive spirit.
Day Four – Christmas at Bute Park
Why not take a stroll around Bute Park? Instead of the classic park you normally see, Bute Park has transformed into a mile-long light display, featuring dazzling lights and sound displays – a mesmerising journey behind the historic Cardiff Castle. The Christmas village has local food and drinks, so why not treat yourself to a hot chocolate on your festive wander around the park?
So grab your flatmates, bundle up in your hat and scarf and take a walk through one of Cardiff’s most magical spots in December. It’s festive and wholesome, and the perfect way to distract yourself from deadlines and essays you haven’t started yet.
Day Five – Gingerbread house competition
A classic December activity. Gather your friends and start your clocks. It’s time to discover which housemate is preparing for Bake Off, and who cannot operate an icing tube without causing structural collapse – this challenge can get messy.
Take a trip down to Lidl and stock up on as many gingerbread houses as your overdraft will allow. Get ready to battle your housemates, with one person accusing everyone of sabotage because their roof mysteriously collapsed after a trip to the loo.
Let the voting commence, and the house rivalry start. This is a classic Christmas activity for you and your housemates to fight over.
Day Six – Pontcanna Christmas markets
Take a trip down to Pontcanna, a picturesque part of Cardiff compared to the streets of Cathays. Pontcanna’s cosy Christmas market is tucked away in King’s Road Yard, and runs every Saturday from 10 AM- 2 PM and every Sunday from 10 AM-4 PM
It features local Christmas stalls with an abundance of handmade decorations and arts and crafts, making it perfect for some thoughtful Christmas gifts. There’s also an array of food and drinks stalls, including fresh pasta, Tom’s pizza and mulled wine and cider.
Day Seven – Watch or take part in the Santa Dash
Head down to Cardiff Bay on Sunday, the 7th of December, if you want to take part in some festive chaos as you watch hundreds of Santas sprint, run, power-walk or wheeze across the streets of Cardiff. Even if you have no athletic ability, who does? It’s still a fun day out to cheer on your friends.
If you don’t just want to spectate, get involved! Grab your Santa hats and get crafting a fake beard out of cotton balls…There’s no better feeling than being overtaken by a seven-year-old as your weekend hangover hits, combined with T&A the night before.
Day Eight – Homemade Roast Dinner
Gather your housemates and take a trip down to Cathays Lidl, if you dare, and make a cosy, homemade roast dinner. Everything tastes better when you make it yourself! Assign roles and give the best chef the responsibility of the turkey…It’s a great way to spend some time with your housemates before you go home for Christmas.
If you don’t have the time to make your own roast, there are lots of options for a great Sunday roast in Cardiff. If you live near Talybont Halls, you must try the North Star Sunday roast; it’s unbeatable. If you prefer something more central, the Flora and the Welsh House are also great options.
Get into the holiday spirit and defrost for Christmas like Mariah Carey.
Day Nine – Ice skating in Cardiff Castle
A classic December tradition, whether you’re good or bad at ice skating, it’s still loads of fun. And where better to do it than in Cardiff Castle? Skate (or skid) your way around the atmospheric grounds of Cardiff Castle and take in the festive spirit, even if you’re holding on to the barriers for dear life.
Enjoy a cosy hot chocolate afterwards at one of the market stalls and giggle over the humbling, mid-fall photos you and your friends captured.
Day 10 – Watch Mary Poppins at the Wales Millennium Centre
A trip to the theatre is a classic Christmas tradition. It’s the perfect way to escape the gloomy weather and enter a magical, colourful atmosphere filled with nostalgia. It’s a great way to distract yourself from the state of your student house and pretend that deadlines don’t exist.
Located near Cardiff Bay, the Wales Millennium Centre is showing the award-winning Mary Poppins from the 3rd of December to the 10th of January. Expect chimney sweeps, incredible choreography and songs that you’ll catch yourself humming for a good few weeks. It’ll make you feel like a big kid, just with significantly less pocket money.
For another childhood Christmas classic, you can watch Sleeping Beauty at the New Theatre from the 6th December to the 4th January. It’s panto season, so prepare yourself for dramatic entrances and more dad jokes than you can count. A trip to the theatre is a festive, wholesome activity for you and your friends this December.
Day 11 – Visit Tiger Yard in Cardiff Bay (Winter Wunder-Yard)
Winter Wunder-yard is a festive spin on Tiger Yard down at Cardiff Bay. It features tons of quality, local food stalls, including Dirty Bird and Cardiff Dough & Co. Take part in an array of festivities, such as curling, tasting mulled wine, or even take yourself down to Santa’s grotto. We hope you’ve got your Christmas list ready.
Winter Wunder-Yard is a great place to have some festive fun; there’s even a bottomless brunch available! It’s open from the 14th of November to the 28th of December.
Day 12 – Christmas pub crawl
End the term off right with a Christmas pub crawl around Cardiff. There’s no better way to end off first term than with a pub crawl. So gather your flatmates, course friends, friends from your society and that one group you met in the YOLO queue – and prepare yourself for a night of festive drinking and more ugly Christmas jumpers than you can count.
Cardiff is built for pub crawls, whether you’re sticking to Cathays, venturing into town or ending up in Misfits at 2 AM, Cardiff is the best place to do it. Check out the Cardiff Tab’s pub crawl guides for the best and cheapest route around Cardiff.
Most importantly, enjoy the last two weeks of term, spend some quality time with your housemates and get in the Christmas spirit. We hope you take a few ideas from this guide to end the year off right.
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Featured image via Canva
