St David’s Hall

When the hall first opened in 1982, it attracted over 21,000 people. Nine days later it held its first public concert – a free open rehearsal by the Polyphonic Choir. When the Queen Mother performed the official opening the following year, St David’s Hall had already taken centre stage in the artistic life of the capital city. These days St David’s is home to the annual Welsh Proms Cardiff and the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. But it’s not all classical, St David's Hall presents a huge range of live events, including pop, rock, folk, jazz, rhythm and blues, comedy, musicals, dance, world music, films and children's shows.

Want to discover more about what you’ll find at St David’s Hall on your visit? Check out our guide to Cardiff’s top arts venue. And be sure to check out your nearby Premier Inn who’ll offer a warm welcome and a great place for you to get ready for your event.

What's on
Best known for its calendar of classical music events, you’ll find something great to listen to whatever time of year you visit St David’s. Every two years during June, the BBC’s Cardiff Singer of the World is held at the hall. This competition is a showcase for the best opera and art singers from all over the globe. If you’re in Cardiff during July, why not grab a ticket to the Welsh Proms Cardiff? This concert series features the world's top orchestras, soloists and conductors playing an extravaganza of classical greats and new pieces. With an array of world class performers already having graced the stage, including Rudolf Nureyev, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Billy Connolly, Jamie Cullum, James Blunt, Will Young, Art Garfunkel and many more, you’ll find lots to see and do at the hall.

Facilities
As you would expect from a venue that holds everything from concerts to comedy shows, St David’s Hall has all the facilities needed to make sure you don’t have to worry about anything during your visit. Read about the facilities on offer and other important information here, and start planning your trip.

Important information
As you would expect from a venue that holds everything from concerts to comedy shows, St David’s Hall has all the facilities needed to make sure you don’t have to worry about anything during your visit. Read about the facilities on offer and other important information here, and start planning your trip.

Layout
As you would expect from a venue that holds everything from concerts to comedy shows, St David’s Hall has all the facilities needed to make sure you don’t have to worry about anything during your visit. Read about the facilities on offer and other important information here, and start planning your trip.

Accessibility
As you would expect from a venue that holds everything from concerts to comedy shows, St David’s Hall has all the facilities needed to make sure you don’t have to worry about anything during your visit. Read about the facilities on offer and other important information here, and start planning your trip.

Top Tip
Regularly opening up its rehearsals to a limited number of the public, be sure to check out whether there are any of these free daytime events at St David’s Hall when you visit. Offering a great opportunity to take a look behind the scenes, you’ll get to hear conversations between the musicians and the conductor, as well as see the process that goes into putting on a concert. Not to mention, you’ll get a sneak preview of the show that night!

Eating and Drinking
Situated in the centre of the city, there’s no shortage of options for dinner or drinks before or after your concert.

Whether you want to grab a quick snack or fill up on something more substantial, you’ll find a whole host of food options in St David’s Hall. Head to Art Café Celf on Level 4 to enjoy great locally produced food, including a wide range of sandwiches, cakes and hot drinks. On some show days, you’ll also find tapas and hot dogs available on Level 3. Look out for the symbol on each show page to check whether this is available for your event.
Located in the centre of the city, you’ll find an array of eateries near the hall. If you’re looking for a great steak menu, take a trip to the 

Meating Place. This contemporary grill house offers a selection of meats, including hanging meat skewers cooked on a real charcoal grill. For one of the best salad bars in the city, head to Crumbs Kitchen and make your own salad bowl.

Want to enjoy the pre-show buzz with some drinks before your concert? St David’s Hall has two bars – one on Level 3 and another on Level 5. Don’t forget, you can avoid the queues at the interval by ordering your drinks before the concert starts. If you’re visiting when there are no performances, you can still grab a drink at St David’s Hall. If an international rugby match is being played at the Principality Stadium you can even watch it live on a huge screen in the Level 3 bar.

Want to head out on the town after your event? Just around the corner you’ll find Cardiff’s premier sports pub, the Old Arcade. As well as showing all major matches on its big screens, this pub offers a great selection of cask ales, a pool table and a good-sized beer garden.

Near St David’s Hall
Built slap bang on top St David's Dewi Sant, you’re a few minutes away from shopping paradise when you’re at St David’s Hall. If you decide to step inside Cardiff’s biggest and best shopping spot you’ll find over 100 stores, as well as restaurants, cafés and a cinema to keep you busy.

Head east of the hall and you’ll arrive at the Principality Stadium. Previously known as the Millennium Stadium, the national stadium of Wales is the home of the Welsh national rugby team but also regularly plays hosts to huge concerts by music superstars. Want to explore behind the scene? The Principality offers a mini or full tour of the stadium or a rugby legends tour that allows you to follow in the studded footsteps of your sports heroes.

Getting to St David’s Hall
Sitting in the centre of the Cardiff, you’ll find plenty of transport options near St David’s Hall.

By car
The Hall sits above the St David’s 2, a 24-hour car park which has 2,000 spaces. The car park is colour coded, uses easy to read and recall icons and each level is named after a Welsh river so you won’t find it hard to remember where you’ve parked. Pedestrian exits from this car park will take you directly onto the Hayes a couple of minutes’ walk from St David’s Hall.

By bus
You’ll find Cardiff Central Bus Station right next to Cardiff Central Railway Station. If you jump off your bus here, it’s a quick five minutes’ walk to St David’s Hall. You’ll also find close by stops on Hayes Bridge Road, Kingsway, St Mary Street, Churchill Way, Canal Street, Greyfriars Road, and Bute Terrace, so you can take your pick of the bus routes.

By train
If you’re getting the train to Cardiff Central, it's a five-minute walk to the hall. Leave by the station’s main entrance on the north side and head along Mill Lane, which turns into The Hayes where St David’s is located. If you’re arriving at Queen Street, head out of the main entrance and along Bridge Street until you arrive at St David's Dewi Sant.