FESTIVE FUN AT THE STADIUM
W HO knew that the Principality Stadium was a stop-off point for Santa, Rudolf and the gang on Christmas Eve? You didn’t? Well, you do now. Old St Nick himself has a special room in a forgotten corner of our great arena which he uses to stash presents for the children of Wales.
He stops there each year, has a mince pie while the reindeer graze for a while on the hallowed turf, and then engages whatever warp factor he needs to hit every household from Chepstow to the Menai Bridge, before, of course, heading around the rest of the world.
Luckily, stadium officials leave the roof open for a quick getaway.
And what a great way for the kids – and mums and dads too – to while away a pre-festive afternoon by paying the big man a visit.
It’s fair to say not all visits to Santa at this time of the year leave you 100% convinced.
This is definitely not one of them. It’s well worth it.
Starting at the cinema at the back of the WRU shop on Westgate Street, boys and girls are challenged to find six sleighbells on a tour of the stadium, before the main event in the Grotto.
Brilliantly hosted by our guide Huw, every room and corridor was decked out in all things Christmassy.
The Ray Gravell Room, where post-match press conferences take place, had a mound of presents mixed in with pictures and tributes to the great man.
The home dressing room was a magical, dark den of twinkling lights with those famous jerseys hanging there on pegs.
There was even the opportunity to walk down the tunnel to the side of the pitch itself.
And, when it was time to meet the bearded one, well, we were made to feel like we were in Lapland itself.
To cap it all, there was a goody bag for each child, after an address from Santa where the usual requests for the morning of December 25 are inevitably shouted from the rooftops.
It all went a little over the head of Seb, my six-month-old little boy, but niece Seren, eight, and nephew Aidan, 10, went away well happy.
The Santa Tour runs most days between now and the day itself, usually with a selection of times to choose from.
Tickets are available at p r i n c i p a l i t y s t a d i u m. wal e s priced at £6 for adults and £11.50 for children up to 16 years* which includes a gift. All children must be accompanied by an adult for the tour, which lasts approximately 45minutes.