It’s Back! After Record-Breaking Year, The Caerphilly Dragon Flies Home For Christmas

The mighty Cadw Dragon, which gained widespread fame after touring seven Welsh castles this summer, has today (6 December 2016) returned to its original home of Caerphilly Castle, just in time for the festive season. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

And there’s a Christmas twist in the ‘tail’ — the now-iconic scaled dragon has been given a festive makeover, complete with a Santa’s hat on its head and mistletoe hanging from its gigantic claw. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The dragon’s seasonal homecoming precedes the Castle’s annual Caerphilly Christmas event — a weekend of medieval festivities set to take place on 10-11 December. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Visitors to the event will have the chance to meet Father Christmas and his real live reindeer, enjoy a selection of traditional treats and refreshments, and have their picture taken with Castle’s star attraction — the Caerphilly Dragon. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

After breaking the banks of Caerphilly Castle in March earlier this year, attracting record visitors on its tour of seven Welsh castles this summer, and even popping up outside London’s St Paul’s Cathedral in October, the enormous dragon sculpture has had a very busy 2016. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

But now, the legendary creature is back where the story began, bringing some festive fire to the Christmas season in Caerphilly — where it will stay for the foreseeable future. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Visitors to Caerphilly Castle will be able to see the dragon by normal site-admission. Those meeting the beast are being encouraged to share their adventurous experiences on social media by using the hashtag #HistoricAdventures. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​