When: 17th & 18th September 2016
Where: Cardiff city centre, Wales
£: Free
What is it?
This weekend, Cardiff’s city centre will become a place where reality is turned on its head. Where the laws of physics, logic, and the predictable, will give way to the magical and the surreal.
Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected will feature a cast of thousands, with unexpected sights, performances, pop-ups and spectacles, appearing on the streets and in buildings throughout the city centre.
On Sunday 18th September, audiences will discover some of Roald Dahl’s biggest (and well-known) fans reading extracts from his stories in some unusual and extraordinary locations across the city centre. In the afternoon, large-scale mayhem will burst out, with audiences invited to join an unprecedented mass picnic in Bute Park – in their pyjamas – and to bring with them some food inspired by the man himself. This event will bring together all the themes, stories, characters and cast of the weekend in an unexpected, all-day festival of Dahl-esque food, music, and story.
More than 6,000 people from Wales and beyond, have signed-up to take part in Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected. These performers will dance, sing, dangle, interrupt, leap out, fly, animate and cause pandemonium in unusual locations across the Welsh capital.
It is hoped that Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected will be an extraordinary weekend-long event to celebrate Roald Dahl’s centenary year, showcasing both his distinctive voice and the jewels of his birthplace.
City of the Unexpected highlights:
Saturday 17th September, 1pm – 9.30pm (Free)
Cardiff’s city centre will explode into the weird and wonderful world of Roald Dahl. Look out for unexpected happenings on the streets and buildings throughout the city… but don’t be fooled, not everything is what it seems! The day’s main event will finish by 9.30pm, and its location will be revealed during the day.
Sunday 18th September, 2pm – 5pm (Free)
The Great Pyjama Picnic in Bute Park will bring together all the themes, stories, characters and cast of the weekend in a huge celebration of food, music, story and mass participation. Arrive in your pyjamas and bring your own Roald Dahl-inspired picnic.
More info: cityoftheunexpected.wales