Wales Week London, the largest annual programme of events celebrating and promoting Wales, commences tomorrow, for its eighth successive year.
Running for two weeks until Weds 6th March, Wales Week London will deliver a schedule of over 120 activities and events around the period of St David’s Day; together helping to celebrate Wales’ heritage and culture, commemorating its national day, and promoting a modern Wales to the rest of the world.
The fortnight of activities will kick off with a Gala Night, where nearly 350 guests will enjoy ‘the best of Wales’. Supported by Phillips Wellbeing Services and the Port of Milford Haven, entertainment will be provided by West End and Broadway performer John Owen Jones, comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean, sporting icons Joe Ledley, Jonathan Davies and Aled Siôn Davies, sports presenter Lauren Jenkins and international DJ, Katie Owen. The event will be fundraising for Velindre, St David’s Hospice Care and the Green Man Trust.
2024’s programme includes events covering and promoting Welsh business, life sciences, manufacturing, AI, start-ups, innovation and finance, tech, architecture, energy, connectivity and environment, HE, art, music and song, sport, food and drink, entertainment, theatre and much more.
It builds on the success of the last seven years, during which a multitude of Welsh celebrities, businesses, sporting, arts and food organisations, government and international partners, have all contributed to showcasing Wales to a collective audience of nearly 70,000, at over 600 events in over 100 different venues across London.
Chair of the Wales Week initiative, Dan Langford has been overwhelmed by the level of interest received by the programme again this year, he said; “Every year I’m always surprised by the incredible enthusiasm we continue to see from all our partners, event organisers and friends – both long-standing ones, who join us for Wales Week London every year; and new sponsors, event organisers and supporters, who we also attract. It’s genuinely humbling, and it always gives our preparations a real boost when we know there is so much energy and ideas that they bring with them. Their ongoing contribution is just incredible, and it’s fundamental to the initiative’s enduring success.”
Wales Week London also works closely with Welsh diaspora groups in London, and both the Welsh Government and UK Government. This year, the event schedule also includes St David’s Day ambassador receptions hosted by the Swiss, American, Canadian and Hungarian governments, as they generously look to join with their Welsh business and cultural partners, to mark the occasion of Wales’ national day.
Langford continued, “Wales Week is very much about partnerships; we attract and coalesce the goodwill, imagination and energy of so many wonderful people and organisations under one Wales Week banner, through which we promote them, their brands, their activities; and together we make a huge amount of Welsh noise.
“This drives our purpose of commemorating our national day, celebrating Welsh culture and heritage, and promoting a modern Wales to the rest of the world.”
New sponsors for 2024 include Aston Martin, Andrew Scott, Buffoon Media, Credas, Cognisess, Mauve, Menter a Busnes, Pensaer, Phillips Wellbeing Services and Team Wales.
Building on the Wales Week Worldwide initiative, which over the years has seen programmes simultaneously taking place in other locations, this year Wales Week will also feature in New York, Detroit, Malta, Hungary, Berkshire, Kyrgyzstan, Melbourne, Ohio, Pittsburg and Osaka.
Langford adds, “Our worldwide destinations change each year depending on the availability of our friends, who volunteer their time, goodwill and energy, each year. It’s incredible to attract such good people to be involved in this way – and by doing so they are tremendous ambassadors for Wales around the world.
Wales Week London has also supported an increased amount of charitable activity, including promoting events that raise awareness of the work of many charities across Wales, and to help with fundraising. Wales Week London has so far helped to raise some £155,000 for Velindre.
Wales Week London was first held in 2017, and was founded by marketing and communications consultant, Dan Langford, and Mike Jordan, Managing Director of leading branding agency Toward.
