Nigel Owens

More than 40,000 people are predicted to join the celebrations in the Welsh capital this summer with the 11th Cardiff-Wales LGBT Mardi Gras.The event is being held in Cardiff on Saturday, September 4.

Announcing the 2010 event new Patron, international rugby referee Nigel Owens, said there will also be a week of events across the city and further afield ranging from concerts and dance performances, theatre groups, photographic and art exhibitions to tea dances.
 
Sport will also figure prominently as Mardi Gras celebrates sporting icons such as international referee Nigel Owens and Gareth Thomas, who has become the first international rugby player to come out. There will also be a number of sports events during the week.

Nigel Owens said:
“It is truly a privilege and honour to be asked to be a patron. We have all come a long way in recent years but there is still much to be achieved. Cardiff Mardi Gras is both a great celebration but also a beacon of the fair, diverse and equal society we all long and strive for.

"The world of sport can be a difficult place for people to feel confident and comfortable about their sexuality, especially young people.  I am particularly pleased that this year Cardiff-Wales Mardi Gras puts inclusivity in sport at the heart of the celebrations. I hope the great celebration of diversity that Mardi Gras has become will continue to succeed in making all people feel they can be their true selves with pride, dignity and self-respect.”

The Festival of events will take place in a wide variety of venues including theatres, arts centres and cinemas. On Saturday September 4, Coopers Field behind Cardiff Castle will be transformed with a main stage alongside a Cabaret and Dance tent and a funfair.

For more information view:
www.cardiffmardigras.co.uk