Tag: Gwrych Castle

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Gwrych Castle to host “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!”

There are exciting things on the horizon for one of my favourite venues! Before the recent pandemic I had the privilege of working at some of the most beautiful venues across the country, bringing magic and entertainment to young and old alike.

Some places I only got the chance to visit once or twice, others I’d make a regular trip to once a year. Some venues I found myself at multiple times every year, so much so that I got associated with them.

Gwrych Castle is one such place – a gorgeous venue where I am happy to be called their resident wizard/magician.

A crowd watching a magician perform at Gwrych Castle; a long rainbow streamer is held between the magician and a child, billowing in the wind

Over the years I have performed at this beautiful faux castle and grounds as part of their medieval events, Christmas events and much more aside. I have roamed the grounds and gardens showing off some mind bending trickery and performing shows that will stick with me for years to come. It is always a pleasure to work there as the group of volunteers that run the place are lovely people, and dedicated to preserving and restoring the castle. 

So, I was excited to hear of the huge news for Gwrych Castle that they are to host the upcoming series of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

"I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!" text

Normally filmed in Australia in previous years, due to the world changing events of Covid 19, they were forced to find a new location for this year’s series. After “hunting the countryside” they found the extraordinary location of Gwrych Castle, described by Kevin Lygo, Director of television at ITV, as a ‘“Walt Disney drawn castle”. I can safely say that it is definitely a place that has been full of magic!

It’s sure to be a new challenge for the producers, hosts Ant and Dec and of course the team at Gwrych, who have been busy preparing the site for when the telly crews arrive. But I am sure it is a challenge that all involved will rise to. This is a fantastic opportunity for Gwrych Castle and its team, one that will bring the site much deserved recognition. 

So when 2020s series of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! airs later this year I will definitely be tuning in to see how the celebrities fare at this most characterful location.

Oh and did we mention that the castle is haunted….mwhahahahaaaaa!

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Gwrych Castle Christmas Fair 2019

Gwrych Castle in snow

In the words of the immortal Slade… “It’s Christmas!” Well, it’s definitely on the way. The nights are drawing in; shopping lists are growing with gifts and food galore; and the time has come to drag the tree down from the attic, and the annual tradition of decorating it whilst watching your favourite Christmas film. (Which we all know is Die Hard!) At least, that’s how it goes down in the Gatling household.

But also for us it is a time to share a lot of magic, Jay will be busy performing at many a seasonal party across December, bringing magic and Christmas cheer to all.

This all kicks off on November 30th and December 1st as we once again return to the magical and mysterious Gwrych Castle as part of the Gwrych Castle Christmas Fair 2019.

  • Mayor and performers in front of Gwrych Castle, Abergele

This also marks the start of Gwrych’s Christmas season, which runs every weekend until Christmas Eve, with the opening of their Santa’s Grotto! The big man himself will be arriving on the Saturday to begin the festivities and open the grotto ready to greet all the good boys and girls, with the addition of a plethora of stalls bulging with lots of goodies to help get the perfect gift for that certain someone.

And of course the Wizard of Conwy will be in attendance to entertain all as well: Jay will be there both days meeting and greeting one and all, sharing some magic and perhaps performing a show or two, so be sure to keep an eye out for the castle’s resident Wizard and partake in some Christmas magic!

We look forward to meeting you all there, and sharing in the joy of this wonderful holiday season.

Now if you’ll excuse us, it’s not truly christmas until Bruce Willis defeats Alan Rickman… again.

What you need to know about Gwrych Castle Christmas Fair 2019

The event takes place on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of November.

For full details visit Gwrych Castle’s website

There is also more information on the events page on Facebook

To find out more about the history of the castle and the work being done to restore it, visit their website.

For more details on our outdoor entertainment, visit our outdoor entertainment page.

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Gwrych Castle Medieval Festival 2019

Gwrych Castle Medieval Festival 2019

The summer holidays are in full swing and now is the time to find things to go out and do, to enjoy the beautiful weather and escape the house for a while. It’s always wonderful to go and explore new locations, with lots of hidden secrets and North Wales is full of such places. And as the title of this blog might point out, we have one such place to suggest: Gwrych Castle Medieval Festival 2019!

On the 3rd and 4th of August Gwrych Castle will be hosting their ever popular Medieval Festival. This will be the third year we have attended and was one of the debut locations for the Wizard of Conwy.

It is a fabulous day out and one that helps support the renovation of this gorgeous location. There is always lots to see and do. Of course Jay will be there in full wizard garb entertaining one and all with some astounding close-up magic, up to three shows throughout the day and some occasional balloon modeling. When you see the green and blue robes about the castle be sure to come over and say hi, then share in some magic.

In addition there will be tours of the grounds to partake in, birds of prey to have a picture with, a hefty number of re-enactors… and where there’s re-enactors there’s sure to be a sword fight or two! And if the kids fancy a go there will be a children’s sword fight school to boot. 

Gwrych Castle Medieval Festival 2019 is a superb day out for the whole family and a wonderful location to chill out in as well, so why not bring a lunch or grab some food and drink from one of the stalls and soak in the atmosphere.

We look forward to seeing you there and sharing some marvellous medieval magic with you.

What you need to know about Gwrych Castle Medieval Festival 2019

Gwrych Castle Medieval Festival 2019 Poster

Tickets are only £6.00 for adults, £3 for kids with under 3s getting in free, and a family ticket is only £15.00. And all funds go towards helping to continue the restoration of this astounding building – and with continued support the Castle will reach its former beauty once more.

For more information about the festival, check out the event page on Facebook.

You can keep up to date with all the lastest news on Gwrych Castle’s Facebook page.

If you’re interested in reading more about the history of the castle and the work being done to restore it, visit their website.

For more details on our outdoor entertainment, visit our outdoor entertainment page.

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Gwrych Castle 200th Birthday: An epic celebration for 200 years!

Gwrych Castle 200th Anniversary open weekend 15-16th June 2019

North Wales has lots of beautiful venues and places to visit, but alas some have fallen by the wayside and been neglected. But some of these stories have happy futures, such as Gwrych Castle. Left to rot and ruin for many years, it was a fine turn of events when the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, headed by Mark Baker, stepped in to help restore this gorgeous site.

We’ve had the privilege to work at this wonderful venue a number of times in the past couple of years, with medieval and local community events, and this year we’re back there several times more, starting with a big old celebration. A double celebration to be accurate; on June 15th and 16th Gwrych Castle will be celebrating its 200th birthday and also the 1st anniversary of the Trust’s purchase of Gwrych.

Mayor and performers in front of Gwrych Castle, Abergele

It’s going to be a big party and you’re all invited to come along, the more the merrier as they say! It’s sure to be a fantastic day out for the whole family, with plenty to see and do. No party is complete without music and dance, and Gwrych have got you covered, with Mistrafunk performing live music in the old theatre, and Clerical Error morris dancers leading the way up the main driveway to their primary performance on the main terrace.

There’ll be face painting with Disney princesses, immersive historical guided tours of the site, magic shows and close-up miracles from Jay and much much more. And if you just want to put your feet up and enjoy this wonderful location you can do that too, with plenty of places to get some food and drink and set yourself up to soak in the atmosphere.

This is going to be a wonderful weekend and it would be awesome to see you there, so if you’re after something to do on the 15th and 16th of June come on down to Gwrych Castle 200th celebration and say hi!

What you need to know about Gwrych Castle’s 200th birthday

Gwrych Castle open weekend 15-16th June 2019 200th birthday

Tickets are only £5.00 for adults, £2.50 for kids with under 3s getting in free, and a family ticket is only £15.00. And all funds go towards helping to continue the restoration of this astounding building – and with continued support the Castle will reach its former beauty once more.

For more information about the celebration, check out the event page on Facebook.

You can keep up to date with all the lastest news on Gwrych Castle’s Facebook page.

If you’re interested in reading more about the history of the castle and the work being done to restore it, visit their website.

For more details on our outdoor entertainment, visit our outdoor entertainment page.

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Gwrych Castle Medieval Festival 2018

We’re looking forward to returning to Gwrych Castle on the 18th of August to take part in their Medieval Festival.

Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust have spent the past 21 years working to restore this unique building and grounds, and earlier this year they announced that they had finally been able to buy the castle, and safeguard it for the future. http://gwrychtrust.co.uk/index.php/2018/06/08/saved-for-the-nation-a-fairytale-welsh-castle-once-destined-for-royalty/

The events held at the castle are a great opportunity to look around, and the money raised will help to keep the castle open for future generation to enjoy.

There will be lots to see and do, check out the event page on Facebook for full details.

For more information on the history of Gwrych Castle, visit their website http://gwrychtrust.co.uk/

For more details on our outdoor entertainment, visit our outdoor entertainment page.