News and Events

ABERDARE FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL - SATURDAY 6th SEPTEMBER The annual Food & Drink Festival returns to the Market Quarter this Saturday 6th September from 12pm-7pm . Come along and join the fun! What to expect: - A fantastic array of food & drink vendors - A superb selection of independent Welsh makers - Live music in the Aberdare Market Yard Plus there is a funfair on Library Square.  This is an event you will not want to miss! Everyone is welcome - so please join us and support your town centre. All our independent traders at the Market Quarter will be open providing a great range of gifts and presents, with lots of refreshments and food choices. We look forward to welcoming you. See our facebook page for more details.

THE NEARLY WILD SHOW - FRIDAY 29th AUGUST Join us on Friday 29th August at the Market Quarter for a family fun-filled afternoon. The Nearly Wild Show is coming to the Market Quarter from 2.00pm. Come along and see the rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, giant tortoise, snakes and creepy crawlies! Activities include: - Animal Interactions - Giant Games - Face Painting The Nearly Wild Show is a free event organised by the Market Traders. Everyone is welcome - so please join us and support your town centre. All our independent traders at the Market Quarter will be open providing a great range of gifts and presents, with lots of refreshments and food choices. We look forward to welcoming you. See our facebook page for more details.

DINO DAY - FRIDAY 1st AUGUST Join us on Friday 1st August at the Market Quarter for a fun-filled dinosaur-themed afternoon. After meeting the dinosaurs at Library Square, the fun continues at the Market Quarter Yard from 2.00pm. Activities include: - Prehistoric Disco - Dig for Fossils - Giant Games - Face Painting The Dinomania event in Aberdare is a great way to kick off the summer holidays. Please join us and support your town centre. All our independent traders at the Market Quarter will be open providing a great range of gifts and presents, with lots of refreshments and food choices. We look forward to welcoming you. Come and join us to " Stomp, Chomp, Roar - Let's Party Like A Dinosaur!" See our facebook page for more details.

“We had a guy in from LA a few weeks ago. When he left he said that he’d had the first proper coffee since he’d landed in the UK ten days ago. He also said that we had the best bacon rolls in town but that’s another story.” So says Nigel Evans who co-owns Helo Coffi with his partner Karin Mear. The Welsh/English bi-lingual coffee shop is ideally situated just inside the left hand main entrance door. With just four small tables and a counter bar outside, the shop has a constant flow of customers. Due to the proximity of tables, conversations between Aberdare regulars are struck up with visitors from New York State on a seemingly daily basis. Such is the atmosphere Helo Coffi creates. It’s not just a place to get a latte or a flat white. The cake selection is supplied by Clam Cakes in Crickhowell and the bacon in the bacon rolls comes from Lloyd’s Deli stall opposite. The freshly made quiche and cherry crumble is delivered daily by That Hobby Baker in Wind Street. Karin says: “We take a lot of care serving up our coffee and snacks. Our coffee beans are roasted in Blackwood by Big Dog Coffee and most of the ingredients we use are sourced locally from other traders like Mem at The Veg Box.” Helo Coffi is open from 9:15am until 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

A new Artisan Craft Fair & Market is coming to the Market Quarter We are delighted to announce that the Market Quarter has teamed up with Crafty Legs Events to bring a brand new monthly craft fair and market to Aberdare. This will be located on the Market Yard and will operate on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10.00am-4.00pm . This new craft fair and market will launch on Saturday 17th May. We have taken this initiative to create an improved shopping experience for the town centre and we hope that many people will come along to support it.

Recent Trader Changes and New Businesses Since the beginning of the year we have seen some exciting changes at the Market Quarter. Anne's Home & Body has expanded and relocated from the Market Hall to the Market Arcade along with the No.33 Craft ladies. We wish them both every success as they continue to develop their businesses. Also, we welcome 1 Stop Fire & Stove Shop - a new business to our Market Street area - with their fantastic room-setting displays of fireplaces and woodburning stoves. The Community Hub is relocating to its original position directly inside the main entrance to the Market Hall. And finally, coming soon to the Market Arcade is a new fashion business, opening at the end of April. This means several smaller stalls in the Market Hall are now available for let. These have been fully refurbished and are ready for new business opportunities. For details, please contact the Market Office directly (see details below).

EASTER 2025 Join us this Easter at the Market Quarter. Especially for all the little ones, we have a fantastic Easter Treasure Hunt - see our Facebook page for details. All our independent traders at the Market Quarter will be open providing a great range for your Easter gifts and presents, with lots of refreshments and food choices. We look forward to welcoming you.  Please note, the Market Hall and Arcade will be closed on Easter Monday (21st April). Happy Easter! Pasg Hapus! See our facebook page for more details.

Christmas festivities at the Market Quarter kick-off in style on Sunday 1st December with the Aberdare Christmas Festival bringing fun and activities all around the town. The Market Quarter will be hosting a traditional Outdoor Christmas Market on Sunday 1st December at the Market Yard. Father Christmas and special guests will switch on the Christmas Lights at 6.00pm . Entertainment will include a brass band, choir and the Sunday Club Ukulele Group. The outside stage will be hosted by GTFM who will be broadcasting live from the event. The Market Hall will remain open throughout the evening and will be joined by guest traders. Meet Santa – Santa will be resident in his Grotto in the Market Hall during December for visits, gifts and photographs. Please see our Facebook page for full details - www.facebook.com/aberdaremarket We wish all our visitors a very Happy Christmas - Nadolig Llawen

Aberdare Market Quarter - Christmas Opening Hours Please see the poster above for our opening hours in the run up to Christmas. Note: The Market Hall and Arcade will be open on Sundays throughout December from 11am-4pm Meet Santa – Santa will be resident in his Grotto in the Market Hall during December f or visits, gifts and photographs. Please see our Facebook page for full details - www.facebook.com/aberdaremarket The Market Quarter consists entirely of local independent traders offering the widest range of products and services at great quality and great value. This Christmas there’s never been a better time to “Shop Local” and support your Aberdare town centre. We look forward to seeing you and extending a warm Christmas welcome. We wish all our visitors a very Happy Christmas - Nadolig Llawen

Half-Term Crafts at The Market Quarter Join us for craft making during this October's Half-Term holiday. All week from Monday October 28th to Friday November 1st we will have different craft sessions everyday between 10am and 4pm Plenty of fun and activities for children and the whole family at the Community Hub stall within the Indoor market This event is organised by the independent traders at the Market Quarter so come and support your local traders. We look forward to seeing you there. See our facebook page for more details.

Family Fun Day at The Market Quarter Join us on Saturday 3rd August at the Market Quarter for a full day of family fun and entertainment. Activities start on the Market Yard from 10am and entry is FREE! Plenty of fun and activities for children and the whole family - including bouncy castle, face painting, giant games, music and lots of stalls. This event is organised by the independent traders at the Market Quarter along with the Market Company, so come and support your local traders. We look forward to seeing you there. See our facebook page for more details.

Aberdare Market Company is delighted to announce that FIVE new businesses have opened in the Market Quarter so far in 2024. All are local family-owned businesses that add increased variety to the already huge selection of products and services on offer in the Market Quarter. The new businesses are: In the Market Hall: - Helo Coffi - Scented House Company - Tanz Trimz Barbers In Market Street: - DYST Printing & Embroidery - Slimming World In addition, the brand new Community Hub has now opened in the Market Hall providing a range of community services, and we are pleased to see one of our long term tenants, Winnie's Butchers, now open again following refurbishment. The Market Quarter consists entirely of local independent traders offering the widest range of products and services at great quality and great value. There’s never been a more important time to “Shop Local”, so please pay a visit to Aberdare's historic Market Quarter and support both the new and existing businesses - we look forward to seeing you.

EASTER TREASURE HUNT Join in the fun this Easter at the Market Quarter. Especially for all the little ones out there we have a fantastic Easter Treasure Hunt taking place on Thursday 28th from 10am - 2 pm. Pick up an entry form, search for the treasure, then find the Easter Bunny for a special photograph. All our independent traders at the Market Quarter will be open providing a great range for your Easter gifts and presents, with lots of refreshments and food choices. We look forward to welcoming you. Happy Easter! Pasg Hapus! See our facebook page for more details.

Celebrate St. David's Day with us at the Market Quarter. We have lots of things going on and we will be supported by our community buddies from Caradog Primary School as we look to spread Random Acts of WELSHNESS and community spirit on this very special day. From Welsh cakes to love-spoons, from Welsh costumes to miner's lamps, from Welsh foods and produce to Welsh coffee, and a wide range of genuine "Made in Wales" products; all are on offer from the independent businesses at the Market Quarter who extend a very warm welcome to everyone. The Market Tenants Association will have their photobooth set up for those memorable St. David's Day selfies - so don't forget to wear your best Welsh costumes! There's also the fantastic opportunity to win the magnificent Myfanwy - a sumptuously rich, decadent and boozy fruit cake in the form of a lady in Welsh costume. The cake has been specially hand-made by our own Lorraine on the Jelly Beanz stall. Come and join us for a great celebration of all things Welsh, and pick up some bargains at the same time. We look forward to seeing you. See our facebook page for more details. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! 

Wishing you a very Happy 2024 from everyone at the Aberdare Market Quarter. We would like to say a huge thank you to all our customers who shopped with us last year and we hope to see you all, plus new customers and faces, in 2024. Your on-going support is crucial to maintain the vibrancy of the town centre. On-line can be convenient but on-street is so much more enjoyable and sociable! As with last year the Market Quarter will be playing host to a wide range of activities and events throughout 2024, with events on the Market Yard such as Food Festivals, Music Festivals, Family Entertainment and much more. The Market Company, Market Tenants Association and Our Aberdare BID representatives will be working hard to deliver a fun packed schedule for the town. We would love to see you there - look out for announcements and keep an eye on the Market Quarter website and facebook page for more details. Here’s to a great 2024.

A very warm welcome to the Aberdare Market Quarter’s brand-new website. The Market Hall, Market Arcade and Market Street are undergoing a makeover with the launch of a new brand design, website and social media presence. This is soon to be followed with new internal and external signage and other branded items such as shopping bags and banners. The Market Quarter consists entirely of local family-owned independent traders offering a huge selection of products at great quality and great value. There’s never been a more important time to “Shop Local” and support all these small businesses. We hope that having explored our new website you will soon pay us a visit. We look forward to seeing you. We would like to thank Jack Kinnerly at Website Sorted and Gareth Pugh at Plaingraffic – local based companies - for their outstanding help and support in our new branding activity. Also, the Market Tenants Association for their support and Paul Webber, a trader in the Market Hall, for undertaking the photography supporting the site. Diolch yn fawr.

Christmas festivities at the Market Quarter kick-off in style on Thursday November 30 th with the Aberdare Christmas Festival bringing fun and activities all around the town. The Market Quarter will be hosting a traditional Outdoor Christmas Market starting at 4pm and the big Christmas Lights Switch On at the Market Yard at 6.30pm. The Market Hall will remain open throughout the evening. See the Our Aberdare website ( www.ouraberdare.com ) for all the details. Meet Santa – Santa Saturdays will be held in the Market Hall from 10am to 4pm on the 2 nd , 9 th and 16 th of December . Santa will be resident in his Grotto for visits, gifts and photographs. Enjoy Christmas festivity and entertainment throughout December at the Market Quarter with our great decorations, carol singers and other pop-up activities – keep an eye on our Facebook page for more details - www.facebook.com/aberdaremarket We wish all our visitors a very Happy Christmas - Nadolig Llawen