2026 in Wales

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Events from the year 2026 in Wales.

Events

January

  • 1 January
    • Blood bike volunteer Andrew Rogers, of Haycastle, Pembrokeshire, dies in hospital from injuries sustained after his motorcycle was involved in a crash with another vehicle on the A61 on 29 December.[1]
    • The mystery runner in the Nos Galan road race is Jess Fishlock.[2]
  • 4 January – Snow and ice prompt the closure of 30 schools due to return the following day from the Christmas holiday.[3]
  • 5 January
    • Snow and ice warnings are issued for Tuesday 6 January as the cold snap continues.[4]
    • A man is fined £500 after admitting dressing as a Royal Navy admiral at a Remembrance Sunday event in Llandudno in November 2024 without having permission to wear the uniform.[5]
  • 6 January – The Met Office issues a warning for heavy snow for Thursday 8 January and Friday 9 January ahead of the arrival of Storm Goretti, the first named storm of 2026.[6]
  • 7 January – At a hearing at Mold Crown Court, Miles Cross, who sold chemicals online to help people commit suicide, is sentenced to 14 years in prison.[7]
  • 8 January – Storm Goretti: An amber weather warning comes into force as heavy snow falls in Wales, with warnings of potential avalanches in places.[8]
  • 9 January – The impact of Storm Goretti continues with warnings for ice, fog and wintry showers in place until midday on Saturday 10 December.[9]
  • 11 January – Archaeologists discover the remains of a large Roman villa at Margam Country Park near Port Talbot.[10]
  • 12 January – Rhydian Lynne Rhys Jamieson, who tried to kill his baby daughter by throwing her at a television and causing her serious injuries, is sentenced to 35 years in prison.[11]
  • 20 January
    • Member of the Senedd and shadow cabinet James Evans is expelled from the Welsh Conservatives after telling leader Darren Millar he is involved in talks to join Reform UK. Reform's leader, Nigel Farage, later says he has held no such talks with Evans.[12]
    • A dead nest belonging to the invasive Asian hornet species has been found near Wrexham, and is the first confirmed presence of the hornets in Wales.[13]
    • Demolition begins on Coney Beach Amusement Park, which closed in October after more than a century in operation.[14]
  • 21 January – A photographer has captured a rare orange cephalopod octopus on a beach at Tenby, Pembrokeshire.[15]
  • 23 January – At a hearing at Newport Crown Court, Richard Downey, aged 55, is sentenced to eight years in prison for a sexual assault committed against a 13-year-old schoolgirl in September 1997. The conviction was secured following advances in DNA technology.[16]
  • 27 January – The Senedd votes to approve the 2026 Welsh budget, worth £27bn, following a deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru.[17]
  • 29 January – A road tunnel on the A55 at Conwy is closed following a collision between a car and a heavy goods vehicle in which a woman is killed.[18]
  • 30 January
    • Following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Jordan Mills-Smith, Joshua Gordon, Melissa Quailey-Dashper and Kristina Ginova, are found guilty of the murder of Joanne Penney, who was shot dead when she answered the door of a flat she was visiting in Talbot Green in March 2025. A fifth defendant, Marcus Huntley, pleaded guilty to murder earlier in the trial. The five will be sentenced at a later date.[19]
    • Cardiff City Council votes to use only silent or low noise fireworks at future displays in order to protect pets and children.[20]

February

  • 1 February – The Met Office issues a severe weather alert for icy conditions overnight for 1–2 February as temperatures are forecast to drop significantly.[21]
  • 3 February – The Senedd approves Welsh Government proposals to increase the minimum unit price of alcohol by 30%, from 50p to 65p, from October.[22]
  • 5 February
  • 7 February – A 15-year-old boy is remanded in youth detention by magistrates at Swansea charged with the attempted murder of a teacher in Milford Haven.[28]
  • 9 February – Firefighters attend a large blaze at an industrial estate in Caerphilly county.[29]
  • 10 February
    • Following a trial at Swansea Crown Court, Thomas Morgan is convicted of the murder of his partner's five-month-old baby in March 2024 after the child suffered catastrophic brain injuries as a result of being violently shaken.[30]
    • Bangor University's Debating and Political Society refuses a request for a question and answer session from Reform UK campaigner Jack Anderton and MP Sarah Pochin, citing "zero tolerance for any form of racism, transphobia or homophobia displayed by the members of Reform". The University distances itself from the decision.[31]
  • 11 February – Reform UK's Francesca O'Brien says the party will not defund Bangor University after the party's Head of Policy, Zia Yusuf, suggested they would remove £30m of funding from the university after its debating society rejected a request for a Q&A session by two Reform politicians.[32]
  • 12 February – Two senior parliamentary aides to Welsh Conservatives leader Darren Millar – former deputy chief of staff Zak Weaver and senior communications officer Tomos Llewelyn – defect to Reform UK on the eve of the Welsh Conservative Party conference in Llandudno.[33]
  • 17 February – A man is arrested following the discovery of an elderly woman's body in a freezer at an address in Porthcawl.[34]
  • 18 February
    • Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces £14bn of government investment in Welsh railways.[35]
    • A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is issued for 18 of Wales's 32 counties, which is in force until 10am on Thursday 19 February.[36]
  • 19 February
    • Data from NHS Wales indicates that hospital waiting lists in Wales are at their lowest for three years, with 741,000 recorded patient pathways as of December 2025, compared to 734,721 in March 2023.[37]
    • The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru approves a 6.4% pay increase for local councillors in Wales, taking their basic annual salary to £21,044.[38]
    • Rescuers recover the bodies of two men who went missing on Snowdon the previous day.[39]
  • 20 February – Two teenagers are sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Kamran Aman, who was fatally stabbed in a racially-motivated attack as he delivered groceries to his home in Barry.[40]
  • 22 February – The Welsh Rugby Union is to hold an extraordinary general meeting during which a vote of no confidence will be tabled in chair Richard Collier-Keywood following demands from Central Glamorgan Rugby Union.[41]
  • 23 February – Plans are announced for the construction of a new £33m hospital unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl in order to improve NHS services in north Wales.[42]
  • 24 February – The Senedd votes to give its approval to the provision of assisted dying services in Wales.[43]
  • 25 February – Thomas Morgan is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 19 years for the murder of five-month-old Jensen-Lee Dougal, who died after being violently shaken in March 2024.[44]
  • 26 February – A Church in Wales report reveals that allegations of sexual assault against bishop Anthony Pierce when he was a vicar were covered up, allowing him to rise through the ranks.[45]
  • 27 February

March

  • 3 March – BBC News reports that the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, which was at the centre of Home Office plans to be used to house 100 asylum seekers, is to close.[48]
  • 4 March – An inquest into the deaths of two sisters who drowned while paddling at Snowdonia National Park in June 2025 records a verdict of accidental death.[49]
  • 6 March – At a hearing at Bristol Crown Court, Shazad Ali, who posted several hundred ISIS propaganda videos online and boasted of becoming the group's next spokesman in Wales, is sentenced to five years in prison.[50]
  • 10 March – Reform UK Senedd member Laura Anne Jones is criticised for a speech in which she claimed rival parties had "entertained" the idea of children self-identifying as cats.[51]
  • 12 March – Plans to build a 50-storey skyscraper in Cardiff, which would become Wales's tallest building, are approved.[52]
  • 13 March – At a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court, Alireza Askari, who previously pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife Paria Veisi, who he stabbed to death then buried in their back garden, is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years.[53]
  • 17 March
    • Senedd members vote 39–10 to ban greyhound racing in Wales, but the legislation could face a legal challenge after it emerges civil servants warned there was not enough evidence to justify a ban.[54]
    • The Senedd votes to make it illegal to lie during election campaigns, with the legislation expected to become law in 2030.[55]
  • 18 March – Police confiscate more than £20,000 worth of assets belonging to Daniel Andreas San Diego, who is scheduled to be deported to the United States to face terrorism charges.[56]
  • 19 March
    • Nigel Farage is criticised by rival parties for describing Welsh people as "foreign speakers" in a paid for video.[57]
    • Alan and Bernita Davies, who let their emaciated daughter die in her ground-floor bedroom, which was in an "appalling" state, are each sentenced to eight years in prison.[58]
  • 20 March – The High Court rejects a legal challenge brought by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain over legislation banning greyhound racing in Wales.[59]

Predicted and scheduled

Sport

Arts

Music

  • An Act of Piracy (opera) by Richard Parry[64]

Holidays

Further information: Public holidays in Wales

Source:[65][66]

Deaths

See also

References

  1. ^ McCarthy, James (2 January 2026). "Volunteer blood biker dies after Carmarthenshire crash". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  2. ^ "Footballer Jess Fishlock appears as 2025 Nos Galan mystery runner". BBC News. 31 December 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  3. ^ Bourne, Nicholas (4 January 2026). "Wales snow and ice weather warnings prompt school closures". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  4. ^ Greene, Dylan; Herbert, Danielle (4 January 2026). "Wales snow and ice weather warnings shut schools". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  5. ^ Herd, George; Slow, Oliver (5 January 2026). "Fake admiral admits dressing as navy official at Remembrance Sunday event in Llandudno". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. ^ Ferguson, Angela; Greene, Dylan (6 January 2026). "Storm Goretti brings heavy snow warning to Wales". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  7. ^ Iwan, Telor; Edwards, Oscar; Easedale, Sarah (7 January 2026). "Wrexham man jailed for selling assisted suicide chemicals online". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  8. ^ Matthews, Antonia; Ferguson, Angela (7 January 2026). "Storm Goretti sparks Wales avalanche warning and thundersnow". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  9. ^ Matthews, Antonia (9 January 2026). "Ice warning as Storm Goretti impact lingers in Wales". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  10. ^ Messenger, Steffan (11 January 2026). "Margam park Roman villa find could be 'Port Talbot's Pompeii'". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
  11. ^ Williams, Meleri (12 January 2026). "Rhys Jamieson sentenced to 35 years for attempted murder of baby daughter". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  12. ^ Deans, David (20 January 2026). "Conservative Senedd politician kicked out of party for Reform talks". BBC News. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  13. ^ Edwards, Oscar (20 January 2026). "Asian hornet sighting in Wales prompts Welsh government warning". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  14. ^ Mohammed, Lena-Zaharah (20 January 2026). "Demolition of Porthcawl's century-old Coney Beach funfair begins". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  15. ^ Edwards, Oscar (21 January 2026). "Rare octopus spotted on Tenby's North Beach before vanishing". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  16. ^ Aitken, Catriona (23 January 2026). "Man jailed for 1997 sexual assault on 13-year-old near Blackwood". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
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  35. ^ Davies, Cemlyn; Deans, David (18 February 2026). "Wales trains: New stations in £14bn UK government rail funding promise". BBC News. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
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  37. ^ Duffy, Steve; Rees, Jenny (19 February 2026). "Hospital waiting lists in Wales lowest in almost three years". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  38. ^ Palmer, Mark (19 February 2026). "Councillors in Wales to get 6% pay rise despite pleas from councils". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  39. ^ Bourne, Nicholas (21 February 2026). "Two found dead on Yr Wyddfa in search for missing men". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  40. ^ Iwan, Telor (20 February 2026). "Barry teens sentenced for racist murder of stranger delivering food to his mum". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
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  43. ^ Browne, Adrian; Deans, David (24 February 2026). "Assisted dying on Welsh NHS step closer as Senedd votes in favour". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
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  49. ^ Herd, George (4 March 2026). "Sisters drowned after paddle at Watkin Pools in Eryri National Park". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
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  67. ^ "Molly Parkin, fashion editor whose real-life adventures were as outlandish as her raunchiest novels". 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026 – via The Telegraph.
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