Christmas Twinkle Trail
2025-12-05 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-12-06 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-12-07 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-12-08 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-12-09 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-12-10 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-12-11 13:00 - 18:00, 2025-12-12 13:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London) and 12 more dates | Victoria Square, Penarth, Victoria Square, Penarth
Can you find all the twinkle lights and track down the hiding elves?…
Set up in 2020 during the covid pandemic, the Victoria Square Twinkle Trail was designed to help parents get their kids outside and interacting with the natural world during the coldest and darkest months. Using copper wired battery powered lights and the wood from last years’ Christmas trees it’s designed to have a minimal impact on the natural environment… though the squirrels sometimes have other ideas!
In 2025, the trail will run from Saturday 29 November to Wednesday 24 December. The lights will be on from 1pm to 6pm daily during that time.
Can you find all 24 little lights? Each light has a wooden tag attached with an object and a number. The 4 Victoria Square elves had hidden themselves near the community garden. If you find them, they each have a wooden tag too but theirs will tell you their names… fill out the trail form (available from Foxy’s Deli on Victoria Road for a £3 donation to Friends of Victoria Square) and return it to Foxy’s to receive a Christmas gift from the elves.
Notes for parents:
A torch will be useful. Particularly for spotting elves who are quite good at hiding! We’d say the best time to do the trail is late afternoon / twilight but older children might enjoy it in the dark. It can be muddy, so wellies are good too.
The lights should be on from 13.00-18.00. There’s always a possibility things might get moved or wander slightly. We check daily but please accept our apologies in this case. The lights should be out of children’s reach as they’re designed to be prickly to deter squirrel attack!
Any queries – please email info@trailsbalesandsnails.co.uk and we’ll do our best to help.
Finally – we’d love your feedback! We’re looking at making more events like this and welcome comments and opinions. Check out the shortcuts to our instagram and facebook feeds.

Griffin Books | R. F. Kuang: Katabasis
2025-12-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Paget Rooms Penarth, Paget Rooms Penarth
Join us in Penarth for an evening with R. F. Kuang, the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Babel and global phenomenon Yellowface, as she discusses her dazzling new novel Katabasis before taking audience questions.
Katabasis (“descent to the underworld”) follows graduate student Alice Law, who must journey to Hell with her rival Peter Murdoch to retrieve her dead mentor. But Hell is stranger and more perilous than imagined—and its greatest threat may be each other. A darkly funny and fiercely original story of ambition, obsession, and unexpected love, Katabasis is one of 2025’s most anticipated novels.
📅 Monday 8 December | 7.30 pm
📍 The Paget Rooms, Penarth
🎟️ £30 (includes SIGNED hardback, tote bag + pin badge) | £15 Event Only | £5 Inclusive
Books are pre-signed; no dedications.
Suitable for ages 14+.
👉 Book now: GriffinBooksEvents.co.uk

Singing and Social Groups for Older Adults
2025-12-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-17 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-31 10:00 - 12:00 | St. Augustine’s Parish Hall, Albert Road, Penarth, CF64 1BX
With Music in Mind‘s Penarth Group sessions run each Wednesday (apart from the second Wednesday in each month) from 10:00am to 12:00pm at St. Augustine’s Parish Hall.
Their groups are informal and inclusive. Groups cost £5 (carers go free), and your first session is free of charge.
Due to restrictions on numbers, it is essential to book a place before attending each time.
You can book a place via their website here, via phone at 07500 776 295 or via email at info@withmusicinmind.co.uk.

RNLI Carol Service
2025-12-10 19:00 - 20:30 | St Augustine’s Church, Penarth, St Augustine's Church, Penarth
Lifeboat Service of 9 Lessons and Carols with the Cavatina Singers. Wednesday 10th December 2025, 6:30pm for 7pm start, St. Augustine’s Church. Coffee and Mince Pies, All are Welcome.

Christmas Crime with Simon McCleave
2025-12-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Griffin Books, 9A Windsor Road, Penarth, Griffin Books, 9A Windsor Road, Penarth
Celebrate the festive season with a chilling new case for DI Ruth Hunter. Bestselling crime writer Simon McCleave will join us for our annual Christmas Crime event, where he’ll discuss his latest heart-pounding thriller, The Bala Lake Killings – a story of murder, betrayal and a deadly pursuit across North Wales. Tickets include a glass of bubbly and a mince pie to get us all feeling suitably festive.
THE BALA LAKE KILLINGS:
A local MP is brutally murdered by a far-right extremist gang in Snowdonia. When DI Ruth Hunter and DS Nick Evans arrest one of the killers, Raymond Clarke, he agrees to give evidence – on the condition that he and his family are placed in protective custody. Ruth believes they’ll be safe in the remote wilds near Bala Lake.
But when the location of the safe house is leaked and Clarke’s family is kidnapped, Ruth and her team are thrust into a desperate chase across North Wales. As the gang closes in, they must uncover the source of the betrayal before it’s too late.
Simon McCleave is a multimillion-selling crime novelist and screenwriter. Originally from London, he now lives in North Wales with his wife and two children. Before turning to novels, Simon worked in London and LA on hit films and series including The Full Monty, Silent Witness, The Bill and Murder in Suburbia. His hugely popular DI Ruth Hunter series has sold millions worldwide and is set to become a major television drama, with filming of Snowdonia beginning in autumn 2025. His new Marshal of Snowdonia series, launched earlier this year, has already become a bestseller.
***
Wednesday 10 December | 7.30 pm
Griffin Books, 9-9A Windsor Road, Penarth, CF64 1JB*
Tickets: £12.00 Event Only (to include a glass of bubbly on arrival and a mince pie) / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket
*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending.
BOOK NOW: GriffinBooksEvents.co.uk

Friends of Penarth Library Cake and Craft Sale
2025-12-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Penarth Library, Penarth Library
Friends of Penarth Library Cake and Craft Sale. 13th December 2025, 10:00 – 12:00 at Penarth Library. For more information call 02920 708 438.

Spectrum Singers | Starbright
2025-12-14 14:00 - 16:00 | The Chapel at Penarth Cemetery, The Chapel at Penarth Cemetery
From the fiery-eyed celestial light of angels to children’s eyes sparkling with tinsel and fire, this winter Spectrum Singers reflects the wonder, awe and anticipation of Christmas morning.
Cosy up with blankets and hot chocolate on a wintry afternoon for an atmospheric choir concert full of dazzling harmonies to leave you glowing.
Through beloved carols in shiny new arrangements, we’ll celebrate angelic fire, the Star of Bethlehem and the Morning Star — symbols of hope, joy, and light breaking into the world.
Oh, and we have a Grinch too… Watch out, he’s a mean one!
Free entry with a retiring collection.
Sunday 14th December | 2pm | Penarth Cemetery Chapel

Shwmae Penarth
2025-12-18 18:00 - 22:00 | Paget Rooms Penarth, Paget Rooms Penarth
Shwmae Penarth: A documentary photography exhibition celebrating community within Penarth. 18th December 2025, 18:00 – 22:00, The Paget Rooms.
