What's On in Cardiff
Thursday 17 September 2026 · This weekend · City guide
Cardiff is pulling out all the stops on Thursday 17 September, with an evening that swings from the intimate glow of the New Theatre to the full-throttle roar of the Utilita Arena. Whether you want to laugh, cry, and be dazzled by a brilliantly inventive musical or lose yourself in a wall of crushing, euphoric metal, the city has you covered. Pick your adventure — or, if you are feeling ambitious, pick both.
Highlights
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — One of the most celebrated and genuinely surprising British musicals of recent years rolls into the New Theatre Cardiff for both an afternoon and an evening performance, giving you a rare choice of slots — 2:30pm or 7:30pm. Based on the gloriously absurd true story of a World War Two Allied deception operation, this show wraps espionage, tragedy, and razor-sharp comedy into a package that has left audiences utterly stunned from the West End to Broadway. The New Theatre is a gorgeous venue that lends the production a real sense of occasion, so dress up, settle in, and prepare to be thoroughly won over. Tickets: Check website.
Spiritbox — If you want to feel the floor shake and your heart rate double, Spiritbox at the Utilita Arena Cardiff from 6:00pm is exactly where you need to be. The Canadian heavy metal outfit have become one of the most electrifying live acts on the planet, led by Courtney LaPlante's extraordinary vocal range that shifts from silk-soft to absolute thunderclap within a single bar. The Utilita Arena is one of Wales's biggest indoor stages, and a band of this calibre filling it promises a show of genuine spectacle — raw, loud, and completely alive. Tickets: Check website.