TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Swansea! This is the Swansea Scoop, the newsletter that's like turning on the central heating (complete with that distinct "burning dust" smell that makes you wonder if the house is on fire… but your toes are finally warm 😄).

How’s your week been? I started it quite randomly by watching acrobatics in the food hall at Swansea University, and tonight the video game jazz at Down By Here looks fun.

This coming week, you can fly one of da Vinci’s machines from a VR swing, see the Earth at Swansea Minster, and catch Twin Town with its director three nights running. Plus, there’s Harry Enfield, Russell Howard, a Gower cider festival, Avatar with a live orchestra, and tons more.
Whatever you’re up to, have a good one and I’ll catch you on Wednesday!

Andrew

P.S. Over 13,000 Swansea locals read the Scoop! Know someone who’d enjoy it? Forward this email to them and ask them to subscribe for free.

Sponsored by Swansea Minster

See the Earth from a whole new perspective at Swansea Minster 🌍

For three weeks this October, Swansea Minster is hosting Gaia, Luke Jerram’s spectacular six-metre installation of the Earth, created using detailed NASA imagery.

The artwork has been shown at venues around the world, and now Swansea gets the chance to experience it up close.

Suspended inside the Minster, Gaia gives visitors the chance to see our planet floating in three dimensions and experience the sense of awe inspired by viewing Earth from afar - similar to that felt by astronauts in space.

Gaia will be on display daily from October 12th to 31st, with extended evening viewing until 10 PM, and a programme of cultural and religious events centred around the installation.

Entry is free, and donations are welcome.

Find out more

THE DIGEST 📰

The Swansea stories worth knowing about this week, in 30 seconds.

✨ Swansea Council’s annual fireworks display is moving from St Helen’s to Singleton Park this year.

🏦 Gorseinon's new banking hub opened this week on the high street.

🌉 Clyne Gardens' red Japanese Bridge is due to be repaired in the coming weeks, after a fallen tree damaged it and it was closed to visitors in March.

🚡 Foundations are now complete for the Skyline Swansea's gondola’s base terminal at Landore Park & Ride.

🏆 Swansea’s 71/72 Kingsway office building, built on the site of the old Oceana nightclub, has won two UK-wide property awards.

@SWANSEA.SCOOP 📱

The acrobats at Swansea University I mentioned in the intro - this was one of the acts, London’s Mimbre Acrobatics.

📱 Join over 95,000 people and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

SWANSEA PROPERTY 🏡

This 5-bedroom detached house in Craig-cefn-parc features multiple reception rooms, a swimming pool, and panoramic countryside views. £670,000 via Astleys.

FOOD & DRINK 🍽️

There are only four tickets left for the Swansea Scoop Dinner Club at Flynn’s Deli on Thursday, October 22nd. Enjoy a three-course Welsh dinner and meet new people in a friendly and relaxed setting - come solo, with a friend or as a couple!

Buy tickets

🫕 Full of Graze is hosting a Swiss cheese fondue evening on Friday, October 16th.

🥃 Penderyn’s Hafod Copperworks distillery is hosting a whisky masterclass on Saturday, October 17th.

🍷Flynn’s Delicatessen is hosting a Bohemian Woods and Fields Austrian wine tasting evening on Saturday, October 17th.

LOCAL BUSINESS 🤝

🦷 A new 24-hour emergency dentist, Night & Day, is preparing to open in Killay.

🍔 A new smash burger and chicken joint, 8 Buns, has opened on Swansea High Street.

👾 Nerdware has moved to larger premises on Swansea High Street.

🏋️ Langrove Health Club will reopen on Monday, October 26th at a temporary home at Swansea Airport, just over two months after a fire tore through its Parkmill site.

🥣 Cook Stars, a UK-wide children's cookery school, is bringing hands-on cooking classes to Swansea for children aged 2–17.

Sponsored by Swansea University

Let your kids get hands-on with the computers you grew up with

On Saturday, October 17th, children aged 8–14 can code on a BBC Micro, play retro games, try a Welsh-built Dragon 32 and meet a modern robot dog at Swansea University’s free From Steel to Silicon workshop at Y Storfa on Oxford Street in Swansea city centre.

Then on Sunday, October 18th, Professor John Tucker, founder of the university's History of Computing Collection, gives a talk on Computing Heritage in South Wales.

Both events start at 1 PM at the Miners' Library, Y Storfa, with a free, hands-on exhibition for all ages across the weekend too.

Book Free Workshop Tickets

WHAT’S ON 📅

The best events in Swansea this week, at a glance:

Monday, October 12th

👴 Ageing Well Activities for 50+: Enjoy activities across Swansea, including movie and soup specials, coffee mornings, bowling and social walks.
Various times | Free

🪂 Volo: Dreams of Flight: Sit on a real swing in a VR headset and "fly" one of Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines at the Faraday Building, Singleton Campus. Runs 12th to 17th October.
Various times | £3

🖼️ You Are Here: Taliesin Create shows works from Swansea University's art collection inspired by the city and the Gower coast. Runs into December.
During gallery opening hours | Free

🎥 Everybody to Kenmure Street: BAFTA-winning director Felipe Bustos Sierra's documentary about the 2021 Kenmure Street standoff in Glasgow screens at Volcano Theatre.
Doors 7 PM, starts 7.30 PM | £6.60 general / £3.30 concession / £11 solidarity

😂 Harry Enfield and No Chums: Harry Enfield revisits four decades of characters, from Loadsamoney to Kevin the Teenager, plus a Q&A at Swansea Building Society Arena.
7.30 PM | From £35.45

🌍 Gaia: Luke Jerram's six-metre globe, made from NASA imagery, hangs inside Swansea Minster with late-evening openings. Runs 12th to 31st October.
Mon-Fri 9.30 AM - 4 PM (to 10 PM some evenings), Sat 10 AM - 3 PM, Sun 10.30 AM - 4.30 PM | Free

🎥 Twin Town + Director Q&A: The Vic in Mumbles screens Swansea's cult 1997 dark comedy, followed by a live Q&A with director Kevin Allen.
7 PM

🎃 Gower Fresh Pumpkin Festival: Pick your own at Poundffald Farm, Three Crosses, plus reindeer, a Haunted Trail and the "Witches of the Farm" adventure for ages 3-12. Open through half-term.
Check website for hours | £5 car pass (up to 6 people), pumpkins extra

Tuesday, October 13th

🎭 Twin Town + Director Q&A: Pontardawe Arts Centre screens Swansea's cult 1997 comedy about two car-thieving brothers, followed by a Q&A with director Kevin Allen.
7.30 PM | £5.50

🖼️ Contemporary Conversations: Fortnightly open discussion on visual art at the Glynn Vivian, built around a topic linked to the current exhibitions.
2 PM - 4 PM | £3

Wednesday, October 14th

🎬 Twin Town + Director Q&A: Kevin Allen's Swansea-set cult classic screens at Taliesin Arts Centre, followed by a live Q&A with the director.
7.30 PM | £7.75 (£5 under-26s/students)

🚪 Backstage Tour: A free 30-minute behind-the-scenes tour of Taliesin Arts Centre.
2 PM | Free

📖 Communion: Literary Salon: Free literary salon evening at Waterstones, Oxford Street, part of Swansea University's Gŵyl PWLS festival programme.
6 PM | Free

🍽️ Supper Club: Bavaria: Set-menu dinner of warming Bavarian and southern German dishes at Flynn's Delicatessen's regular supper club evening.
6 PM - 8 PM | £32

🌱 Waterfront Wildings: Fortnightly outdoor morning for under-5s in the National Waterfront Museum's GRAFT garden, with fire-cooking, a mud kitchen and seed sowing.
10.30 AM - 12 PM | Pay what you can (£1 minimum per child)

🏠 Home: The Key to Hope exhibition: New exhibition at Y Storfa by members of Crisis South Wales Skylight with lived experience of homelessness, exploring what home means. Runs to January 8th.
Open daily | Free

🖐️ Messy and Sensory Play: Weekly sensory play for babies and toddlers at Elysium Gallery - wear old clothes and bring a change.
10.30 AM - 11.30 AM | £8 (£10 for siblings, pay on the day)

🎤 Swansea Rock Choir: Free Taster Session: Warm up, learn part of a song and hear the choir perform at Waterfront Community Church, with no auditions or experience needed.
~90 minutes | Free

🪚 Evening Beginners Wood Carving: A hands-on introduction to wood carving at Swansea Community Workshops.
6 PM | £10

Together with Welsh Coast Radio

📻 Listen live at welshcoastradio.com, on your smart speaker, on the app, or on 106.5 FM across North and East Swansea.

Thursday, October 15th

💃 Mwyhau | Amplify: Richard Chappell Dance presents an evening of contemporary dance, tap and spoken word from Welsh choreographers at Taliesin Arts Centre.
7.30 PM | £15 (£7 under-26s/students)

🎨 Glynn Vivian at Night: Exhibition Opening: Four new exhibitions open with a free after-hours party at the Glynn Vivian, including a retrospective of Swansea-born painter Alfred Janes.
5.30 PM - 8 PM | Free

🦎 Crymlyn Burrows Conservation Session: Help the warden look after Crymlyn Burrows, Swansea University's nature reserve next to Bay Campus.
1 PM | Free

💇 Dads Hair Academy: Dads and male carers learn to do ponytails, plaits and buns for their kids at The Swansea Jack.
7 PM - 9 PM | £20

🏐 Beginner Korfball Session: Try korfball, the Dutch mixed-gender sport, with Swansea Roar at Penlan Leisure Centre. Your first three sessions are free.
8 PM - 10 PM | Free

🎭 Monday Morning at Machine Mart: Sahana Athreya's new solo show about migration, climate and cheap consumer goods, part of Volcano Theatre's Shape of Things to Come series. Runs 15th to 17th October.
Thu 15th 5.30 PM, Fri 16th 1.30 PM & 5.30 PM, Sat 17th 1 PM & 3 PM

Friday, October 16th

🎭 A Tidy Boy: Peter Darney's new Welsh comedy-drama about a closeted youth worker returning to Skewen, starring Lynn Hunter, at Swansea Grand's Arts Wing. Runs 16th to 24th October.
2.30 PM & 7.15 PM | £20 (14+)

🎻 Rainer Hersch: All Classical Music Explained - Live: Comedian and conductor Rainer Hersch answers classical music's big questions, like what Mozart stole from ABBA, at Swansea Grand Theatre.
7 PM | £28 (10+)

🍎 Gower Cider & Music Festival: A weekend of live music and local cider at Gower Heritage Centre, with The Stray Pursuit, Cotch Corner and more. Runs 16th to 18th October.
Fri 6 PM - late, Sat 10 AM - late, Sun 10 AM - 5 PM

🏺 Friends of the Glynn Vivian: Artist Talk with Hannah Walters: Wakelin Award 2026 winner and porcelain sculptor Hannah Walters talks about her work at the Glynn Vivian.
2 PM - 3 PM | Free

💃 Dandiya Dancing: Celebrate Navratri by learning the traditional Dandiya stick dance with Kathak dancer Sarita Sood at the National Waterfront Museum. Adults and children both need a ticket.
7 PM - 9.30 PM | Pay what you can (£1 minimum)

😂 Friday Night Comedy: Fast-paced stand-up club night at Problematic Pub Comedy Club, hosted by Sandro Ford and Simon Emanuel.
Doors 6 PM, show 7.30 PM | £18.45 (18+)

Saturday, October 17th

⚽ Swansea City v West Ham United: Championship clash at the Swansea.com Stadium.
3 PM | From £11

😂 Russell Howard: Don't Tell The Algorithm: Russell Howard's new phone-free stand-up tour comes to Swansea Building Society Arena. Runs 17th & 18th October.
Sat 3.30 PM & 7.30 PM, Sun 7.30 PM | From £40.99 (+£3.95 booking fee)

🪐 Exploring the Planets: Drop-in science workshop at Oriel Science taking visitors on a journey through the Solar System, planet by planet.
11 AM - 12 PM & 2 PM - 3 PM | Free

🦕 Saturday Family Workshop: Soaring Pterosaurs: Make your own floating pterosaur in this family workshop on balance and illusion at Elysium Gallery. Adults must come with a child.
11 AM - 1 PM | Free

🍰 Cwtches & Custard Slices - An Afternoon with Fearny’s Finds: Join Dawn from Fearny's Finds at Morgans Hotel for afternoon tea with custard slices, a live chat, and a charity raffle.
12 PM | £25

🎭 The West End Day Party: Live West End vocalists, a party DJ, singalongs, and iconic show tunes at Bambu Beach Bar.
3 PM - 8 PM | £17.50 - £27.50

🛍️ Penllergaer Pop-Up Market: Indoor and outdoor food and crafts market at Llewelyn Hall.
11 AM - 3 PM

😂 Saturday Night Comedy: Fast-paced stand-up club night at Problematic Pub Comedy Club, hosted by Sandro Ford and Simon Emanuel.
Doors 6 PM, show 7.30 PM | £18.45 (18+)

🌼 Daffodil Bulb Sale: Penllergare Valley Woods' annual bulb sale, with around 30 varieties and a bulb-lasagne planting demo.
11 AM - 2 PM | Free entry; bulbs from 20p each

Sunday, October 18th

🃏 Swansea Card Show: Trading and sports card collectors' fair at LC Swansea in the Maritime Quarter.
9 AM (VIP early entry), 11 AM - 4 PM | From £10 (kids free with a paying adult)

🌳 Sunday Conservation Sessions: Hands-on conservation work at Penllergare Valley Woods, from planting to coppicing, with tools and refreshments provided.
10 AM - 12 PM | Free

🌳 Autumn Woodland Craft Day and Chestnut Festival: Enjoy woodland crafts, chestnut stew, hot drinks, and more at Crymlyn Bog Visitors Centre.
11 AM - 3 PM | Free

☕ Coffee Cupping Session: Method Roastery: Beginner-friendly guided coffee cupping at Flynn's Delicatessen, exploring aroma, acidity and body with beans from Method Roastery.
2 PM - 3 PM | £12

🚌 Swansea Bus Museum: Autumn Running Day: Vintage buses are back on the road for the day at the Swansea Bus Museum, with heritage rides included.
11 AM - 4 PM | £6 adult / £3 child (5-16) / £15 family

🎃 Pumpkin Flower Workshop: Autumn table-centrepiece workshop at Founders & Co, Wind Street, using faux and dried pumpkin displays.
12 PM - 1.30 PM | £25pp

🧩 October Speed Jigsaw Competition: Monthly speed jigsaw competition at Common Meeple board game cafe — book ahead to secure your space.
6.30 PM | £15

📅 Hosting an event in Swansea?

Submit it to our events calendar for our audience to find and we’ll pick the highlights to feature in our newsletter and on social media!

EXTRA SCOOPS

Indie Love Swansea
Find your next book obsession - and your bookish people! Indie Love Swansea brings 50+ indie romance authors to Brangwyn Hall on Saturday, October 24th. Meet the authors, collect signed books, browse bookish goodies and celebrate everything from swoony love stories to spicy romance. Come with friends or make some new ones in our welcoming reader community. 10.30 AM - 4.30 PM. Tickets £35, including a tote bag and lanyard. Book through Eventbrite.

LIVE MUSIC 🎸

Sponsored by Swansea Jazz Club

Catch incredible live jazz every Wednesday night at Swansea Jazz Club, the UK's longest-running weekly jazz club! Check out the full schedule at swanseajazzland.co.uk

Monday, October 12th
Uplands Tavern | Open Mic Night | 9 PM
Swansea Minster | Gaia Exhibition Opening Night Concert with Jonathan and Rosie | 7 PM

Friday, October 16th
Hangar 18 | Dressed to Kill: The World's Longest-Running Tribute to KISS | 7.30 PM
Brangwyn Hall | Red Hot Chilli Pipers | 7.30 PM

Sunday, October 18th
The Vic, Mumbles | Peter Jones | 7 PM
Plough & Harrow, Brynhyfryd | Open Mic Night

WEDNESDAY'S SCOOP (ICYMI) 🦢

Griffith John grew up preaching on the edge of Swansea’s most notorious slum, where families shared one privy between five houses and queued for hours at a single water spout. Cholera killed both his parents, and he went on to spend more than half a century in China, bringing healthcare and education to communities living in conditions much like the ones he’d left behind.

This week, we look at how Dyfatty went from Victorian scandal to post-war tower blocks, and why the people living there have waited so long for someone to get it right.

Read Fixing Dyfatty for 200 Years.

Support the Scoop 💌

If reading the Swansea Scoop has become part of your routine, please consider supporting us for just £3 a month - or £30 a year (two months free).

Everything will still be free to read, but your support will help cover the time and cost involved in putting the newsletter together and delivering it each week.

Thank you to our 51 members so far 🙏

Support the Scoop

THANKS 😊

Thanks for reading the Swansea Scoop. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend who would find it useful.

Catch you on Wednesday!

Andrew.

What did you think of today's email?

✅ Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up

📧 Want to advertise your business to our audience of 13,000+ newsletter subscribers and 95,000+ on social media? Reply to this email or contact [email protected]

👉 Sometimes things change or we make a mistake, so please check event and activity details directly with the organiser to avoid disappointment.

Swansea Scoop is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk.

78 things to do in Swansea (October 12th - 18th)