A once-niche wine event has morphed into a sprawling get-together, powering bars, salons and the local economy
There was snow on the hills a few miles away and a north-westerly wind was cutting through the city.
But a bit of chilly weather didn’t stop thousands of revellers, dressed in party gowns and sharp suits, hitting the streets of Swansea to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau Day.
“It’s an excuse to have a good time, really,” said Laura, a 20-year-old supermarket worker, as she and her co-worker Kelly, 42, danced out of the No Sign Wine Bar, once a haunt of Swansea’s most famous son, Dylan Thomas. “A chance to put on the fake tan, dress up and party.”
It isn’t de rigueur here, by any means, to actually sample Beaujolais on the third Thursday of November. Laura and Kelly had been drinking prosecco. “I tried Beaujolais once,’ said Kelly. “Didn’t like it – a bit boring.”
