What's On in Cardiff
Wednesday 16 September 2026 · This weekend · City guide
Cardiff is turning up the dial on a Wednesday, and honestly, who says midweek can't feel like the main event? From a brilliantly bonkers wartime musical to a comedian bringing pure joy to one of the city's biggest stages, there is something electric in the air tonight — and you really do not want to be the one who stayed home.
Highlights
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — One of the most wildly inventive shows to emerge from the British theatre scene in years, Operation Mincemeat takes the stranger-than-fiction true story of a Second World War deception plot and turns it into a riotous, sharp-witted musical that has audiences laughing, gasping, and cheering in equal measure. The New Theatre Cardiff is a gorgeous, atmospheric venue that feels perfectly suited to a show this theatrical and this daft in the best possible way. With both a 2:30pm matinee and a 7:30pm evening performance on offer, you have got two chances to catch it — check the website for tickets and do not dally.
Paul Smith - Happy — Stand-up comedian Paul Smith brings his show Happy to the vast Utilita Arena Cardiff at 7:30pm, and if his reputation for warm, anarchic, crowd-pleasing storytelling is anything to go by, the title is not just a name — it is a promise. This is the kind of live comedy that fills a huge room and still feels oddly intimate, the sort of night where you leave with aching cheeks and a strong desire to tell everyone about it the next morning. Check the website for ticket prices and availability, and get in quickly before this one sells out.