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A programme of spring events for Caerphilly County Borough’s towns has drawn praise for attracting thousands of visitors.
Saturday May 4 saw Bargoed’s May Fair – the final event of the spring, before Risca hosts its beach party next month.
All the events were organised with funding from Caerphilly County Borough Council, the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund and local community and town councils.
Attendances were slightly down for some events compared to last year, though the weather is often an influence.
Bargoed May Fair
Footfall figures have yet to be released for this event, although reaction from visitors on social media has been positive.
As well as the predicted thousands of visitors, the fair played host to Lightning McQueen from Disney’s Cars, the Mid Wales Ghostbusters, Batman, Bumblebee from Transformers, and Barbie.
Cllr Dawn Ingram-Jones, who is a member of Caerphilly County Borough Council and Bargoed Town Council, said: “It was exceptional. We had a glorious day and were lucky with the weather.
“Really great turnout, like last year, and we extended the fair to go all the way to the bottom of town, which pleased shopkeepers.
“We had great feedback from them and the cafes and it was nice to see so many smiling faces across town.”
Caerphilly Food Festival
Thousands of visitors flocked to the town centre on Saturday April 27 with recorded footfall in Castle Court Shopping Centre being just over 24,000. The council’s own footfall counter, which is near Valley Hearing on Cardiff Road, recorded 7,162.
This was up 83% on the previous Saturday.
Despite the success of the event, which saw a bustling Ffos Caerffili, visitor figures were down compared to last year. In 2023, Castle Court’s footfall showed 25,144 while the council recorded 10,977 visitors.
The event saw more than 150 trade pitches as well as a whole host of other activities and events such as cookery demonstrations, animals, and funfair attractions.
Two ‘park and walks’ were in place at different schools which many visitors made good use of for easy access to the town.
There was some criticism from business owners from some of the town’s side streets.
Tracie Undery of The Deli, on St Fagans Street, posted on social media about her frustration that an ice cream van had been used to close the street to vehicles. This gave the impression the area was closed off to pedestrians as well.
Ms Undery said council officers should have consulted better with regard to the road closure so that her business would not have been “excluded” from the event.
Frustration was also forthcoming from businesses on Pentrebane Street.
A council spokesperson said: “Members of the council’s events team visited The Deli on Saturday to discuss the owner’s concerns and the feedback obtained will help shape the way we manage these types of events in future.”
Blackwood Spring Fair
The council’s footfall counter registered 6,923 visitors to Blackwood town centre on Saturday April 13 for the county borough’s second spring fair of the year – down on last year’s event footfall of 8,058, but still an increase of 66% from the previous Saturday.
Gavyn Bolton of McKenzie’s Café Bar said: “It was a brilliant day, and lovely to see the high street so busy. We had lots of old and new faces in.”
Huw Edwards from Tidal’s Store said: “The quality of stalls was amazing, events like this really help with the longevity of the high street.”
Ystrad Mynach Spring Fair
Held on Saturday March 23, the county borough’s first major spring event attracted 5,623 people according to the council’s footfall counters. This was down on last year’s event, which recorded 8,247, but up almost 300% from the previous Saturday.
There was a range of activities and attractions at the fair, including an Easter bunny meet and greet, Punch and Judy, the Mid Wales Ghostbusters, a petting farm, face painting, as well as several food and drink stalls.
Surrounding businesses benefited from the event too, according to the council.
Jon Richards, from Fields of Magnetic Horizon records store, said: “It was a vibrant event with lots of new faces in the shop despite bad weather, and lots of positive feedback from people.”
“Important to put our towns on the map”
Deputy council leader Jamie Pritchard said there had been a positive response to the spring events.
He said: “People will have heard a fair bit from me about the importance of holding regular events in our town centres, but it is something we strongly believe in.
“Some days we get blessed with glorious sunshine, whilst other days can be less warm. But the turnout is usually good, regardless of the weather.
“As cabinet member for regeneration, I know it’s important to put our towns on the map. We want local people and visitors to come from further afield, and then back again for return visits. We have received a lot of business feedback to say the events are helpful, so we must be firmly behind business by working closely with them.
Cllr Pritchard said he wanted to thank fellow councillors, traders, residents, and local businesses for their ongoing support.
Upcoming events
Caerphilly 10k
The Bryn Meadows Caerphilly 10k and 2k races will return on Sunday May 12.
The 10k race starts and finishes on Crescent Road, with the track leading runners in and around Caerphilly town centre, passing landmarks such as the castle and the Tommy Cooper statue along the way.
The annual event is organised by Caerphilly County Borough Council, which has announced road closures will be in place during the event.
It is still not too late to enter the race – visit www.caerphilly10k.co.uk for more information.
Risca Beach Party
Risca Beach Party is taking place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday June 8 and Sunday June 9 in Tredegar Park, which is located off Tredegar Street.
This two-day event will be host to a giant beach, complete with deckchairs and beach toys, to keep everyone amused. Regular Punch and Judy shows will take place throughout the day and there will be a selection of children’s funfair rides.
There will also be a small number of stalls selling sweets, brownies, and Welsh cakes, as well as hot and cold drink refreshments, potato twisters, dinky donuts and of course ice cream.
Pride Caerffili
This year’s Pride Caerffili event, which is set to be a day-long celebration, is taking place from 12pm to 7pm on Saturday, June 15.
Visitors can expect a family-friendly event, recognising and celebrating the contributions made by LGBTQ+ people in our society. On the day, there will be live entertainment and an iconic Pride Parade to celebrate.
The parade is due to set off from St Martin’s School, Caerphilly at 12pm, making its way down through the town, looping around the Twyn Car Park area, where it will finish.
It will be an amazing day of live music, entertainment, and celebration as we come together in support of our LGBTQ+ community in Caerphilly County Borough.
The event will be located in the Twyn Car Park, Caerphilly Town Centre, CF83 1JL, where there will be a road closure in place along Twyn Road.
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