All systems go for Dahl spectacular

PREPARATIONS are in “full swing” for the Roald Dahl centenary celebrations set to transform Cardiff into a City of the Unexpected later this year.

A royal visitor and a select few guests were treated to a preview of one feature of the celebrations on Wednesday.

The Duchess of Cornwall got a glimpse of September’s two-day event when she was shown around George’s Marvellous Medicine Machine as part of her role as patron of Roald Dahl 100.

The event will take place on the weekend of September 17 and 18.

Just under 10,000 participants are set to get involved, while thousands more are expected to line the streets to take it all in.

The event will not be stationary as crowds will be moving around the city to see the action, which will be constantly evolving.

There will be road closures, while Cardiff Castle, the city’s market and the National Museum of Wales are part of the backdrop.

On the Sunday a huge Dahlian picnic will be held in Bute Park.

Preparations are well under way, with organisers behind the City of the Unexpected, which is being jointly produced by National Theatre Wales and the Wales Millennium Centre, hoping to create an unforgettable experience in the birthplace of the world-famous children’s author.

Graeme Farrow, artistic director at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, said some of the event is about reclaiming Dahl as “one of our own” but mostly it’s about showcasing imagination.

After the royal visit, Graeme said: “It feels like almost the start of something because we gave her a sneak preview. I think she had great fun.

“We gave away one of our secrets and she was very intrigued.”

With thousands of actors and visitors set to take over the city in September, he hopes the city that is known for hosting brilliant sporting events can also become known for the equivalent in the arts world.

“It’ll be like the Euros – the artistic equivalent of the Euros this year,” the dad-of-three said.

“I can’t think of another arts event in the UK that will take over a city quite like the City of the Unexpected is going to take over Cardiff.

“I think it’s the first time that a big outdoor spectacle like this will have taken over the city in such an all-encompassing way.”

On plans for the event, he said: “We are in full swing. There are other things that have been built that are pretty much ready to go. I don’t think it could be going any better in terms of planning.

“We’ve managed to keep things under wraps quite well. We really, really want to retain that element of surprise.”

The creator is Nigel Jamieson, who has been involved in the Sydney Olympics and Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in 2002.

When asked to describe the event, Nigel said: “Imagine a city which for two days was taken over by the imagination of Roald Dahl and where the laws of every day and physics gave way to the laws of magic and surprise – that’s it.”