CARMARTHEN came alive with the sights and sounds of vintage eras on Saturday.
Residents and visitors alike were encouraged to take a trip down memory lane as Carmarthen town welcomed back the 2nd Carmarthen Vintage Festival with the support of Carmarthenshire County Council.
The Vintage Festival was organised by Carmarthen Town Centre Regeneration Forum through funding from the Welsh Government’s Town Centre Partnership scheme for projects including branding, annual events, development of a website, improved signage, installation of footfall counters and tourism ambassador training for traders.
Shopkeepers joined in the fun and dressed in vintage outfits bringing a touch of the good old days back to the streets.
There were vintage fashion shows, clothing, hair and make-up displays, arts & craft and dance, and new this year was a vintage wedding fair.
There were also opportunities for the public to make things to take home, Arts Care Gofal Celf provided a drop in workshops for people to create something to take away, including vintage style broaches/ jewellery using fabrics/lace/buttons etc. There was a whole host of activities in St Catherine’s walk including street entertainers, balloon modellers and vintage steam engines to entertain the children.
There were musical performances from the Big Cwtch artists, Tobias Robertson, Trenchfoot, Super promotions and Two Dumb Blondes to name but a few. Nott Square became a vintage fashion and beauty quarter with vintage fashion shows. From vintage dresses to hair and make-up designs to the awesome shoes and accessories, the area was transformed.
Merlin’s Walk also supported the festival. Shoppers in Merlin’s walk were graced by an elegant explorer and adventurer Lady Augusta Llywelyn-Gordon, a 12ft tall street walker, and her assistants glided through the mall picking out interesting creatures and features on their walkabout performance.
The Big Cwtch pop-up sessions proved to be a huge success across town, the public were able to get a little taster of what to expect of the Big Cwtch Summer Festival one of Carmarthenshire’s award winning family festival now in its third year showcasing emerging Welsh artists and some of Wales’ best food producers in a breath-taking lakeside setting. Find out more www.thebigcwtch.com
If Saturday’s event inspired you don’t forget to visit www.discovercarmarthenshire.
Executive board member for regeneration and leisure Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “The event was a huge success. It certainly goes to show that organised events have a big part to play in why shoppers and tourists choose to come to Carmarthen over many other local venues.
“Themed events like the Vintage Festival help to ensure Carmarthen remains the number one destination in West Wales.”
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