This year's City of Arcades Day was bigger and better than ever before, delivering an unforgettable experience with a vibrant event lineup, exclusive discounts, and exciting prizes.

City of Arcades: The Game

The festivities began early, with crowds of eager visitors forming a queue at Central Square for the chance to play the life-sized City of Arcades board game. As players made their way around the giant board, inspired by iconic Cardiff landmarks, they had the opportunity to win one of 60 discounts and prizes, including their own copy of City of Arcades: The Game.

Our winners also picked up prizes including a two-night stay at Hotel Indigo, a rejuvenating spa package from Laguna Health & Spa, and a £50 voucher for Bill's Restaurant. We saw lots of smiling faces heading into the city centre to redeem their prizes and explore more of the exciting events and discounts on offer.

A Playable City-Wide Experience

Alongside our giant board game, the city centre was transformed into a playable experience with in-store games and a family friendly trail.

Our trail led visitors across the city, taking them to 14 iconic Cardiff landmarks, each with a question to solve. Once they had completed their adventure visitors could redeem a tasty bag of chocolate coins from St David’s Guest Services.

At Swoon Gelato, shoppers could Spin to Win anything from a free scoop of Gelato, to a £25 in-store gift card. Edward Simmons, General Manager at Swoon, noted the bustling atmosphere on the day, telling us,

"My staff absolutely loved it and made the day a joy for them which is the atmosphere I want here regularly.”

There were also opportunities to participate in competitive events like Jackon’s Oyster Eating Contest. Jackson’s had some big prizes up for grabs, with the oyster eating champion winning a hefty £100 Jackson’s bar tab!

Offers and events

The vibrant atmosphere continued all day thanks to the huge variety of discounts and events across the city. People were popping from store to store, enjoying a range of offers including a free 10-day foundation sample at MAC, 20% off treatments at Nailcraft Emporium, and free goody bags at The Perfume Shop.

There were all sorts of events to enjoy, including a special performance by Choir With No Name, up on Castle Arcade’s balcony, which really got us in the festive spirit!

Visitors could also kick back and treat themselves with events like Nighthawks Champagne Brunch.

Amy Holmes, Owner of Nighthawks, told us,

“The arcades were absolutely buzzing, there was such an amazing atmosphere, with a lovely group of people out celebrating the arcades. The champagne brunch went down really well and we were just very busy because of volume of people in the arcades!”

Pettigrew Bakeries hosted popular Sourdough Masterclasses throughout the day and enjoyed the buzzing atmosphere.

Owner, David Le Masurier, said,

“It was our busiest day ever (even compared to rugby days!). We also had several comments from people not realising how good Castle Arcade had become and how much change there has been in tenants. Amazing work and grateful tenants here.”

Thank You!

City of Arcades Day 2023 was a blast. We would like to thank all of the businesses who took part and helped to make the day a huge success.

See you next year!