Cardiff Music City Festival arrives as city’s Music Strategy turns up the Sounds and Pounds

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

This October 3-18, the Welsh capital comes alive with the second Cardiff Music City Festival, a two week-long celebration of gigs, happenings, talks, installations and pop-ups, harnessing the power of music, performance and tech to unite and inspire.

After a summer where the eyes of the world were on Cardiff as Oasis’ comeback tour kicked off in the city, the festival is a flagship moment in Cardiff Council’s Music Strategy.  This ambitious plan has transformed the Welsh capital into one of the UK’s leading music cities, with live music now contributing hundreds of millions each year to the economy and supporting thousands of jobs.

Through strategic investment in venues, support for emerging musicians, and initiatives such as the Grassroots Music Venue Fund, Cardiff Council has ensured the city not only attracts international touring acts but also nurtures the next generation of talent, stages and spaces.

Alongside the grassroots support, infrastructure is being developed with spades in the ground on a new 16,500-capacity indoor arena, forecast to generate £100m annually for the South Wales economy and the future of St David’s Hall, the National Concert Hall of Wales, secured in a deal with AMG to introduce Wales’ first Academy music venue.

This year’s festival sees more than 200 performances across more than 20 venues over 15 days and includes a sold-out evening with CVC to open the festival at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama; a homecoming for indie stalwarts for Los Campesinos!, described by Pitchfork as ‘the 21^st century’s most endearing cult band’; the 15^th annual Welsh Music Prize ceremony; the music discovery festival Sŵn; a BBC Cardiff Singer of the World gala concert; Wales Millennium Centre’s Llais festival, with Rufus Wainwright, Cate Le Bon and a rare UK performance from Meredith Monk exploring the possibilities of the human voice, alongside a series of immersive events.

At the foundation of the strategy is support for local music-makers and venues, as well as reshaping the city’s cultural infrastructure:

• The Grassroots Music Venue Fund invested in 17 venues last year, helping new creative hubs and beloved venues expand and improve their offer, and building on the Council’s work to secure a new home for Sustainable Studios/The Canopi and support Porter’s relocation, enabling them to thrive.
• Initiatives such as Little Gigs Bach, funded by Cardiff Council, provide access to instruments and lessons for children who might otherwise miss out – ensuring the next generation of musicians can flourish.
• Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is redeveloping the historic ‘Old Library’ building in the city centre into a hub of rehearsal, learning and public performance, reinforcing Cardiff’s role as a centre of education and innovation in music.

Summer 2025 cemented Cardiff’s position as a must-stop for global tours, with over 900,000 fans attending live events across the city.  Asked why Oasis chose the city for their world tour opener, Liam Gallagher said: “because Cardiff is the b*ll*x”. Together, these events brought a an economic impact of more than £90m to Wales’s capital.

Meanwhile, the city’s grassroots and independent scene continues to thrive, with acts such as Panic Shack, CVC, Mace the Great and Melin Melyn building international acclaim from venues like Clwb Ifor Bach.

Cllr. Jen Burke, Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cardiff Council, said:

“Cardiff has always been a city with music in its soul. Our Music Strategy is about putting that at the centre of how we grow – investing in venues, supporting grassroots, and creating opportunities for artists at every level. We are now seeing the results: major global acts want to play here, grassroots venues are thriving, and the next generation of musicians is finding its voice. The Cardiff Music City Festival is just one way we celebrate what’s happening – but this is about more than a festival. It’s about making Cardiff a world-class music city for decades to come.”

Find out more about Cardiff Music City Festival line-up HERE

Cardiff Music City Festival Schedule: