It’s that time of year again when people are off work, travel goes haywire and roads, shops and city centres see difficulties across the board. We’re having a look at all of the disruption you can expect, including places to avoid, plus all the things that are still open and running right up until the big day and beyond.
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00:00It's that time again. The Christmas break is upon us. That means, for many, the kids
00:07are now off school for two weeks, you may or may not still be in work, and you've forgotten
00:11to buy your auntie something. This is your guide for the next few days, with travel issues
00:16piling up, shopping still to be done, and you still want to find some time to visit
00:20Santa.
00:21First, with travel, of course, over the few days of Christmas, there will be either no
00:25trains or buses, or a limited amount. On Christmas Eve, Transport for Wales say that all trains
00:31will be coming to an end from 8pm, with services closed entirely over Christmas Day and Boxing
00:36Day, with services starting at a later time than usual on the 27th, so you'll need to
00:41plan accordingly over these days if you're looking to catch the train.
00:45Buses around Cardiff have some changes too, with Saturday service running on Christmas
00:48Eve, with most bus routes last service somewhere between 5 and 6pm on the 24th. Buses for
00:55Cardiff will then be closed entirely over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with extra
00:58services resuming on Friday the 27th, with added early and midday routes.
01:04Over the New Year's period, a week or so later, it'll be much like Christmas Eve, with trains
01:08coming to a close around 8pm and buses closing somewhere between 5 and 6 on Tuesday the 31st.
01:14No trains or buses will be running on New Year's Day, so maybe it'll be best to just
01:18nurse that hangover on the sofa to start the new year.
01:22Buses are encouraged to check for any additional disruption over the whole festive period before
01:26travelling on the bus or train network.
01:30One little addition to the shopping schedule that might be a welcome move for those looking
01:33to do some last minute shopping is late night shopping on Monday the 23rd. The St David's
01:38Shopping Centre will be closing at 9pm on that day for anyone looking to do a last minute
01:43whip around for those they didn't get around to beforehand, but on Christmas Eve it'll
01:47be closing at 5pm, so that is officially your very last chance to get anything you need.
01:53The Christmas Market, which has been a hit as always, this year will close on Christmas
01:57Eve, with stores shutting for the final time this year at 6pm on the 23rd.
02:02But I wouldn't worry about that, because you're probably all sorted and organised aren't you?
02:06Well, maybe not.
02:08For those who are all shopped out but still want to enjoy a bit of Christmas magic in
02:12the run up to the big day, places like Cardiff and Newport's Winter Wonderlands and Caerphilly
02:17on Ice will be open until Christmas Eve.
02:20Cardiff's Winter Wonderlands, spread in through the green at the front of City Hall, over
02:24to the Castle, will be open until 10pm on the 33rd, but will see an earlier closing
02:29time of 8pm on Christmas Eve.
02:31And it's the same story for Newport's Winter Wonderland, which has Newport's first city
02:35centre ice rink, which closes at 10pm on the 23rd and 8pm on Christmas Eve.
02:41Both are closed then over Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but Caerphilly on Ice is offering
02:45an extra day open for Boxing Day for anyone who didn't do enough Christmas on the 25th.
02:50You can get out on the ice on the 26th.
02:54So that's everything you need to know on the festive period this year.