The Cardiff Big Weekend took place annually from 1993 to 2011, and in 2017 as part of the Cardiff Festival organized by Cardiff Council. The event was free, and lasted three days. As well as music over the weekend, there were fair rides on site, and firework displays.
In 2004 the Admiral Group began to sponsor the event, and continued to do so until 2011. This sponsorship led to the event later being titled the Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend.
Alongside the event a competition held by Cardiff Council's event team gave the opportunity for bands to perform at the Big Weekend. The Big Gig was launched in June 2011, and had a category for under 18s and over 18s. In 2011 there were over 60 entrants and the over 18 finalists competed at The Globe, Cardiff.
The Line Up 2017 Pride Cymru brought back the Big Weekend music festival and included their LGBT Pride Parade to reform it as 'Pride Cymru's Big Weekend'. Cardiff City Hall's Lawn, which was located at the end of the official Pride Parade route, was the venue.Kathryn Williams, This is the line up for this year's Pride Cymru Big Weekend event in Cardiff, Wales Online, 12 May 2017, Accessed 19 July 2017 Friday 25 August Saturday 26 August Sunday 27 August Fun Lovin Criminals Bright Light Bright Light Charlotte Church Last Orders Tribute Bands (various) Zervas & Pepper Lost & Found Blair Dunlop AFISHAL & Judge Jules Jordan Gray Leighton Jones
2012 The Cardiff Big Weekend, which is usually held the second weekend in August as part of Cardiff Festival, was "rested" for a year in 2012 due to the Olympic Football games taking place at the Millennium Stadium (in Cardiff) on 9 and 10 August. In 2013, the music festival was axed and replaced with a temporary 'Beach' area in Cardiff Bay's Roald Dahl Plass.
2011 Friday 5 August Saturday 6 August Sunday 7 August Death Before Sunrise Zong Zing All Stars Ffred Jones OK Dom Duff Edei Attack! Attack! Jazz Jamaica with Special Guest Myrna Hague King Charles Funeral For a Friend Hayley Scarlett Friends Electric Horace Andy & Dub Asante Dodgy Vintage Trouble Nerina Pallot Gabrielle The Feeling
2010 Friday 30 July Saturday 31 July Sunday 1 August Samoans Maroon Town The Lay-Lows Racehorses Wonderbrass Rumer Los Campesinos! The Raghu Dixit Project Pete Lawrie The Blackout The Congo Allstars Fenech Soler Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos The Phenomenal Handclap Band The Jolly Boys Athlete Pee Wee Ellis and the Funky Assembly Feeder Chaka Demus and Pliers
2009 Friday 31 July Saturday 1 August Sunday 2 August Save Your Breath Soukous Koumbele Steve Appleton The Joy Formidable Peatbog Faeries Absent Elk Attack! Attack! Chancery Blame & The Gadgo Club The Leisure Society Kids In Glass Houses Melopark Ebony Bones! Orquesta Cache Camera Obscura Edward II The Lightning Seeds Imelda May The Zutons
2008 Friday 1 August Saturday 2 August Sunday 3 August Park Bench Social Club Pandemonium Frizbee Juice - with caller Dave Parsons Natacha Atlas Yoav The Men They Couldn't Hang Robert Maseko & The Congo Beat Beth Rowley Ryland Teifi Go Audio Grupo Lokito The Automatic Prince Buster and the Delroy Williams Junction Band Glasvegas Young Knives Ash
2007 Friday 3 August Saturday 4 August Sunday 5 August PeeWee Ellis SW Storm Gethin Pearson Bobby Kray Los Skarameros Colum Regan Soul II Soul Soundsystem The Soothsayers Halflight Sierra Maestro The Storys Jimmy Cliff Ben Taylor Richie Havens Sandi Thom Magic Numbers
2006 Friday 4 August Saturday 5 August Sunday 6 August The Selecter Daisy Blue Unkle Bob Katrina (formerly of Katrina and the Waves) Viva Machine Mukka The Alarm Alongcameman Foy Vance Memory Lane Music Mix Winners Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young The Poppies Terri Walker Cord Stereo MCs The Crimea Cerys Matthews The Infadels The Automatic Kubb
2005 Friday 12 August Saturday 13 August Sunday 14 August Beverley Knight Line up also included Chesney Hawkes, Hazel O’Connor, The Christians and Modern Romance.
2004 Friday 30 July Saturday 31 July Sunday 1 August Bad Manners Red Dragon Roadshow Cherry Falls Chas 'n' Dave Dynamo Dresden D?booga Howard Jones Speedway The Jews Brothers Zoot Woman Caramelo Son The Delays Rhian Benson The Fun Lovin' Criminals The Brand New Heavies
2003 Friday 1 August Saturday 2 August Sunday 3 August Big Mac's Wholly Soul Band Red Dragon Roadshow The Elephant is Gerald Limahl Ayra Shod Go West LSK King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys The Bees La Bottine Souriante Athlete The Proclaimers The Bluetones The Waterboys
2002 Friday 2 August Saturday 3 August Sunday 4 AugustBarker Ray Davies
2001 Friday 3 August Saturday 4 August Sunday 5 August Tommy & the Chauffeur Red Dragon Roadshow Nick Turner Allstars Tetra Splendour Maximum Roach Black Umfolosi Lostprophets I am Kloot Jazz Jamaica All Stars Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Kosheen TBC ??? EMF Deacon Blue
2000 Friday 4 August Saturday 5 August Sunday 6 August Kennedy Soundtrack Nucleus Roots Motimba Baby Elephant Rae & Christian Kakatsitsi Bench Chumbawamba Arrow Manchild Asian Dub Foundation Victor Hugo & La Banda Picante Ptang Yang Kipper Bang Kris Jenkins Aswad
1999 Friday 6 August Saturday 7 August Sunday 8 August Rocket Gold Star Red Dragon FM Party in the Park Four Brothers Cartoon Indian Ropeman Vocal Sampling Quattro The Herbaliser Groupa Folia Big Leaves Afro Celt Sound System Black Star Liner King Pleasure Nik Kershaw
1998 Friday 7 August Saturday 8 August Sunday 9 August Armstrong Red Dragon Roadshow Loop Guru Diesel Bug Fisherman Walk Mutton Birds Manchild Melys Osibisa Ether Carrie Leo Sayer Audioweb Carleen Anderson Gene
1997 Friday August 8 Saturday August 9 Sunday August 10 Trippa Red Dragon Roadshow Christine Collister Planet Loaded Rachel Stamp Tony Hadley Revolva Don Sam Brown The Blinders Ether Afro Celt Sound System Stereophonics Death in Vegas Urban Species Dreadzone Omar
1996 Friday August 9 Saturday August 10 Sunday August 11Leighton JonesJames Taylor Quartet Railroad BillFlow MotionSuper Furry Animals Pocket Devils Spice GirlsDogPato Banton4 Man DoUpside Down
1995 Thursday August 10Friday August 11 Saturday August 12 Sunday August 13Dub WarA Night At The OperaChumbawamba Carter USM60 ft DollsTime Flies House PartyHugh CornwallCorduroySuper Furry AnimalsThe DharmasFNAAZGalaxy 101 Showcase feat Danii Minogue + The Spice Girls etcWaste Ayinde MarshallThe UnderdogsBackbone Fat Barry's Soul BandH-Kippers
References
External links Cardiff Big Weekend Cardiff Festival 11 free festivals Cardiff Big Weekend details from BBC Wales Pride Cymru