101 places to go – The Laugharne Weekend
A“timeless, mild, beguiling island of a town” is how Dylan Thomas described Laugharne. This small and enchanting corner of Carmarthenshire clearly had a huge influence on the writer as his most renowned works were created during his time at the lovely little boathouse by the bay. But Laugharne’s endearing personality isn’t just evidenced though its small scale and the large welcome offered by its inhabitants, it also informs its most popular event: The Laugharne Weekend.
Despite being hugely popular, Laugharne’s annual arts festival still offers an incredibly personal experience, where big names from the world of comedy, literature and music rub shoulders with townsfolk and visitors. It creates a lovely feeling of community and makes for an incredible celebration of the arts, filled with unique and memorable events. And because the festival can only grow as big as the town, it has retained its unique identity whilst some other festivals have expanded and lost a little of what made them so endearing in the process.
It’s for this reason that Laugharne offers up some very attractive events. The 2013 festival takes place on the weekend of April 5-7. Here are a few of our picks:
• The ‘Godfather of British Pop Art’ Sir Peter Blake RA will be appearing on the Sunday at 2pm in the Millennium Hall.
• Musical picks include Beth Orton on Friday, 9pm at the Congregational Church and one half of Everything But The Girl, Tracey Thorn on Saturday, 4pm at the Millennium Hall.
• Fans of poetry will find much to enjoy, including John Cooper Clarke on Saturday, 8pm at the Millennium Hall, Kate Tempest and Porky the Poet (aka Phil Jupitus) on Saturday, 3.30pm-4.30pm at the Marquee.
• Writers and broadcasters appearing at the show include Stuart Maconie, Caitlin Moran, Grace Dent, Charlie Higson and more. We’d also suggest Mark Watson at Saturday, 6pm, Congregational Church who will probably still be recovering from his 25 hour stand-up comedy routine for Comic Relief.
If you’d like to visit The Laugharne Weekend, take a look at our featured holiday cottages in the region today.
