SWN Festival

About Swn Festival

Cardiff’s city-centre venue circuit frames Sŵn Festival 2026, a three-day new-music festival in Cardiff covering indie and alternative music alongside folk, rock, pop and experimental artists.

It runs 15–17 October. Founded by Huw Stephens in 2007, Sŵn reaches its 19th edition in 2026 and runs as part of Cardiff Music City Festival.

The Clwb Ifor Bach team has run the festival since 2018, with the three-day format used for its 2024 and 2025 editions.

Lineup and Programme

The 2026 bill runs to more than 150 artists across 10 stages. It is a venue-hopping programme.

The genre spread covers indie, alternative, folk, rock, pop and experimental music, with artists drawn from Wales, the UK and overseas.

Sŵn Connect adds conference sessions alongside the live programme.

Who Is It For?

Sŵn is aimed at adults interested in new-music discovery across small and mid-sized city venues.

ID matters. The main wristband venues are 18+, with ID required at wristband exchange and potentially by venue security.

Porter’s also has free all-ages events.

The Venue and Site

The site is Cardiff city centre rather than a single arena. Announced 2026 venues include Tramshed, Clwb Ifor Bach, St John’s Church, Jacobs Basement, Fuel, The Canopi, Tiny Rebel, Little O’Neill’s and Porters.

Wristband exchange is required before venue access, and bag checks apply at venues.

Selected venues have accessible toilets, ramp access and lift access. Carer tickets are available, and the festival app carries the full schedule closer to the event.

Travel to Swn Festival

Cardiff is the anchor. Sŵn uses city-centre venues, with the main rail hubs and central roads serving the site.

• Rail: Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street are the two main city-centre stations.
• Road: access into the city centre runs from the M4 at J32 via the A470, or from J33 via the A4232 / Central Link.
• City-centre roads: Visit Cardiff maps show Newport Road (A4161), Queen Street, St Mary Street, Penarth Road, Bute Terrace and Callaghan Square.
• Parking: the festival FAQ points drivers to Parkopedia; Visit Cardiff lists North Road Car Parks, St David’s Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, NCP Adam Street, NCP Dumfries Place and NCP Greyfriars Road.

Bristol is listed as 41 miles by road, Birmingham as 112 miles and London as 144 miles.