Two new arts festivals for Wales in 2023

Wales is to host two major arts festivals in April.

NoFit State Circus will see acts from across the UK live, work and create together in a purpose-built site with three Big Tops. This'll end in a 3-day Circus Festival.

Aberystwyth will host Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival, profiling the rising stars of Welsh crime fiction alongside bestsellers and household names from the UK and abroad.

Both are benefitting from funding from the Welsh Government.

Tom Rack, Artistic Director, NoFit State Circus, said: “NoFit State is very grateful for Welsh Government’s generous support for the Circus Village & Festival 2023.

“Thanks to their investment, we’re able to expand the Circus Village project - primarily focused on skills development for circus professionals - and bring to it a public Circus Festival, allowing us to share amazing, innovative contemporary circus with Welsh and UK audiences.

"Three Big Tops, four different shows - Swansea will have never seen anything like it. It will be an epic finale of an epic project.”

Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival is Wales' only international crime fiction festival.

It has been held digitally in 2021 and 2022. The first live edition is planned for 21-23 April 2023.

Aberystwyth, which is already well known as the home of crime TV series Y Gwyll/Hinterland, will be the home of the festival, and the aim is to establish a world-class, international crime fiction festival for Wales.

The event will also support writers to develop new Welsh crime writing talent and to promote Welsh artistic life in and beyond Wales.

Alis Hawkins, Chair of Gwyl Crime Cymru, said: “The organisers of Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival - until now an online-only festival - are thrilled that support from Event Wales will now allow us to stage Cymru’s first ever international crime fiction festival in Aberystwyth in April 2023.

"We’re delighted that the need for such an event has been recognised and we look forward to delivering the event in April.”