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94-469: The groups meets regularly in throughout the academic year with and work with directors, vocal coaches and musicians to improve performance skills, as well as collaborating with composers and writers in the creation of new pieces. Formerly known as WNO Singing Club and starting with only seven participants, it has grown to include over a hundred members spanning over three regional hubs (South Wales, North Wales and Birmingham). Each year WNO Youth Opera mounts

188-411: A 1,100 kg (2,400 lb) black curtain made up of 12 drapes measuring 9 m × 35 m (30 ft × 115 ft) – to vary the audience from a capacity of over 73,000 down to between 12,000 and 46,000, depending on the four different positions that it can be hung. The curtains can be stored in the roof of the stadium when not in use. The £1 million cost of the curtain was funded by

282-500: A 2–0 win over Manchester United in the final at the stadium. Liverpool also won the last FA Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium in 2006, beating West Ham United 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out that followed a 3–3 draw after extra time in what was billed as 'the best cup final of the modern era'. The Football League Third Division play-offs in 2003 saw AFC Bournemouth beat Lincoln City 5–2. In this game, Bournemouth set

376-460: A United Kingdom band or other musical ensemble is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wales Millennium Centre Wales Millennium Centre ( Welsh : Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru ) (WMC) is Wales' national arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff , Wales. The site covers a total area of 4.7 acres (1.9 ha). Phase 1 of the building was opened during

470-727: A crowd of 17,612. It was again used as Wales' home ground during the 2002 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France when they again hosted the Kiwis this time attracting 8,746 spectators. The Stadium has hosted three Challenge Cup Finals, which are usually played at Wembley, from 2003 to 2005. In 2003 the Bradford Bulls defeated the Leeds Rhinos 22–20 in front of 71,212 fans. St. Helens defeated Wigan 36–16 in 2004 in front of 73,734 fans, while Hull F.C. defeated Leeds 25–24 in 2005 in front of 74,213 fans,

564-400: A fortune. But in north Wales the historic slate industry has left behind whole mountains of waste stone that no-one wants. This was stone cut from the mountainside for nearly two hundred years but which wasn't good enough to make roof slates. Over 90% was thrown away. But it was ideal for making walls like the one I had in mind... —architect Jonathan Adams Metal The WMC's main feature,

658-918: A full-scale production which is performed in the Wales Millennium Centre . In April 2005 it premièred the thrilling new opera The Tailor's Daughter [1] composed by Brian Irvine [2] with a libretto by Greg Cullen [3] and directed by John Doyle . In July 2006 it performed Leonard Bernstein 's comic operetta Candide [4] to much acclaim [5] ), while in July 2009 the company performed Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Upcoming productions in 2022 include Judith Weir 's The Black Spider and Shostakovich 's Moscow, Cheryomushki . Previous members currently working in opera and music theatre include Natalya Romaniw, Samantha Price and David Thaxton. 1. http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2008/Jul-Dec08/maisy1107.htm This article on

752-400: A new ballet based on one of Alun Hoddinott's works. The Welsh National Opera performed the final scene of Beethoven 's Fidelio in their new home. The evening ranged included many types of music, from popular to classical. Day 2 – 27 November 2004 On the second day, the doors opened for the public to explore the building. A continuous stream of people filled through the building during

846-619: A new record for the most goals scored by one team in a single match at the stadium. This record has since been matched but not beaten. The last domestic cup match played was when Doncaster Rovers beat Bristol Rovers 3–2 after extra time in the Football League Trophy Final on 1 April 2007. In 2001, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) confirmed that they had bid to host the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final . The stadium had recently been rated as

940-444: A new £3.1 million Desso hybrid pitch will be installed. In February 2019, the stadium increased its disabled capacity from 168 to 214 at a cost of around £100,000. As a result, the overall capacity of the stadium was reduced from 74,500 to 73,931. A statue of Sir Tasker Watkins , the former WRU president between 1993 and 2004, was commissioned to stand outside Gate 3 of the stadium. The bronze statue, 9 feet (2.7 m) tall,

1034-537: A new £6 million River Walk by the River Taff on the western side of the stadium. By 1999, the Millennium Stadium had replaced the National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park, as the national stadium of Wales for rugby union and association football international matches. Cardiff RFC continued as before to play at Cardiff Arms Park rugby ground, which had replaced the cricket ground in 1969. The stadium

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1128-526: A panel, which included the former Wales international captain Ryan Jones and staff and members of the WRU and Principality Building Society, chose the final design. A spokesperson for the WRU said: "The new stadium logo takes its inspiration from the venue's iconic architecture; four spires, curved frontage and fully retractable roof." The all-seater stadium has the capacity for 74,500 supporters and features

1222-767: A retractable roof, only the second stadium of its type in Europe, and the largest football stadium in the world with this feature, by capacity. Additional seating is sometimes added for special events such as a rugby Test against the New Zealand All Blacks , or for the FA Cup Final . The current record attendance is set at just over 78,000, recorded at the Anthony Joshua v Carlos Takam fight, on 28 October 2017, in which Joshua successfully retained his WBA, IBF and IBO titles. The natural grass turf

1316-466: Is an international rugby league record at the stadium. From 2000 to 2009, the stadium was the almost-permanent home of Welsh football. The national team played the vast majority of home matches at the Millennium Stadium, with a handful of friendly matches once or twice a year at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham or Liberty Stadium, Swansea . The first Welsh football game at the stadium

1410-466: Is for team-coaches, celebrity limousines and other uses via Westgate Street, Gate 5 is via Park Street (to the south) and Gates 6 and 7 are via the Millennium Plaza (also to the south). Any future renovation to the stadium will involve replacing the old North Stand of the former National Stadium with a new one similar to the three existing stands of the new Millennium Stadium. This will make

1504-852: Is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also held Wales national football team games. Initially built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup and replacing the National Stadium , it has gone on to host many other large-scale events, such as the Tsunami Relief Cardiff concert, the Super Special Stage of Wales Rally Great Britain , the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain and various concerts . It also hosted FA Cup , League Cup and Football League play-off finals while Wembley Stadium

1598-516: Is used alternating years with Liberty Stadium in Swansea. The Welsh Varsity event celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016. Rugby World Cup The Welsh Rugby Union hosted the 1999 Rugby World Cup with the Final being played at the stadium. The stadium also hosted 3 pool matches and 1 quarter-final match (New Zealand 18–20 France) of the 2007 Rugby World Cup . On 15 October 2011, the stadium

1692-592: Is used as a centre for education and outreach work. Phase 2 also has space for practice rooms, a music library and backstage facilities, and provides a four-storey office space for Wales Millennium Centre and the Arts Council of Wales . The original plans for the WMC were that it would have a concert hall, but the final design of phase 1 did not include one. Instead, space was left for a concert hall to be built after phase 1 opened in 2004, and construction on phase 2

1786-535: The 1998 FIFA World Cup . The original capacity of the National Stadium was 65,000, but this had been reduced to 53,000, due to the Taylor Report . 11,000 of 53,000 capacity was on the East Terrace and the conversion to an all-seater stadium would have reduced the stadium capacity still further to just 47,500. In addition to the problems of capacity, the National Stadium was also very well hidden by

1880-587: The Amsterdam Arena , completed in 1996 with a capacity of 50,000; and Gelredome in Arnhem , a 30,000-capacity ground built from 1996 to 1998. To remain on the Arms Park site, additional space had to be found to allow safe access and to provide room for the increased capacity and improved facilities. This was achieved by the purchase of adjacent buildings to the south and east and by the construction of

1974-634: The Celtic cross embodies the cross-fertilisation of indigenous and Roman cultures, from which the Welsh nation first emerged. The monumental inscription is a familiar feature of Roman architecture. The inscription over the entrance of the Wales Millennium Centre is a revival of this classical tradition, and also a recognition of the formative influence of Roman culture upon our nation. We're lucky to have two languages; one that we share with half

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2068-522: The First Minister , who stressed that the new arts centre belonged to the whole nation, that it was for all of the people of Wales and not just for the elite. The building was opened by Janet Thickpenny, a young mother from Barry , who was chosen because her 40th birthday coincided with the opening day. A human chain delivered the symbolic key, designed and cast by Ann Catrin Evans, to Janet. This

2162-587: The Millennium Commission funded £46 million. The Millennium Stadium opened in June 1999 and its first major event was an international rugby union match on 26 June 1999, when Wales beat South Africa in a test match by 29–19 before a crowd of 29,000. With a total seating capacity of 73,931, it is the largest stadium in Wales and the fourth largest (and second largest outside London ) in

2256-543: The Social Security offices in Westgate Street. The stadium was built by Laing in 1999 on the site of the National Stadium, with the head of construction being Steve Ager. It was built for the 1999 Rugby World Cup , for which Wales was the main host, with seven of the 41 matches, including the final, being played at the stadium. The total construction cost of the stadium was £121 million, which

2350-670: The United Kingdom by total capacity. In addition, it is the third-largest stadium in the Six Nations Championship behind the Stade de France and Twickenham . It is also the second-largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof and was the second stadium in Europe to have this feature. Listed as a category four stadium by UEFA , the stadium was chosen as the venue for the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final , which took place on 3 June 2017. In 2015,

2444-585: The "hoodoo", after Paul Darby carried out a feng shui blessing. Liverpool were the first team to win the FA Cup at the Millennium Stadium in 2001 after beating Arsenal 2–1. They were also the first team to win the League Cup at the Stadium, defeating Birmingham City in a penalty shoot-out earlier that year. In 2003, Liverpool won the League Cup for the seventh time in their history thanks to

2538-528: The 2009 and 2010 events were held at Murrayfield Stadium and were renamed Magic Weekend. In 2011, Magic Weekend moved back to Cardiff with the opening round of Super League being played. On 26 October 2013, the Millennium Stadium hosted the opening ceremony and the first two fixtures of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup : a double-header featuring Wales against Italy and England against title favourites and eventual tournament champions Australia . This double header produced an overall attendance of 45,052, which

2632-547: The BBC NOW and conducted by Thierry Fischer . Phase 2 includes the 350-seater BBC Hoddinott Hall ( Welsh : Neuadd Hoddinott y BBC ), also known simply as Hoddinott Hall, which is named after the late Welsh classical composer Alun Hoddinott (11 August 1929 – 12 March 2008), and the Grace Williams Studio, which is named after another Welsh composer, Grace Williams (19 February 1906 – 10 February 1977), and

2726-734: The Dance House, and the Blue Room, with seating for up to 100. The foyer has three bars; the Penderyn Awen Foyer Bar on level 2, the Horizons Foyer Bar on level 4, and the Stones Foyer Bar on level 5. Ffresh restaurant is also situated in the foyer, along with the coffee shop Crema, the ice cream parlour Hufen and the wine bar One. Free performances also take place during the day in the foyer on

2820-546: The Donald Gordon Theatre, has 2,497 seats, and is the second largest stage in Europe. The BBC Hoddinott Hall seats 350 and the Weston Studio Theatre seats 250. In 2001 Lord Rowe-Beddoe was appointed chair of Wales Millennium Centre, a company limited by guarantee . Peter Swinburn is the current chair of Wales Millennium Centre. The Wales Millennium Centre replaced an earlier project for

2914-485: The Glanfa Stage. The WMC was designed by Jonathan Adams of local practice Percy Thomas Architects (taken over by Capita Group in 2004 ), with Arup Acoustics providing the acoustic design and Arup as building engineer. His first concept drawings were made in early 1998, and by 1999 his design had started to look more like the building it is today. Construction began on 25 February 2002. The main contractor

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3008-764: The Japan Room, and the Lloyds Enterprise Suite. The Urdd Gobaith Cymru has a hostel with overnight accommodation for 153 people in en-suite bedrooms, called the Urdd City Sleepover. It also has performance and teaching space in the Urdd Hall/Theatre, with 153 retractable seats. The building also includes rehearsal rooms, orchestral facilities for the Welsh National Opera, dance studios for Diversions, called

3102-511: The Millennium Stadium was officially renamed as the Principality Stadium. The new name, written bilingually ("Stadiwm Principality Stadium") and covering 114 square metres (1,230 sq ft) of the upper stadium, was lit up at a special evening ceremony, to be followed by a festival to encourage grassroots rugby. The change of name also meant a change of logo for the Millennium Stadium. There were three designs shortlisted, and

3196-523: The Millennium Stadium was under construction, the original Wembley Stadium had hosted the Welsh rugby team during the building of the new ground. The favour was returned from 2001 while the new Wembley Stadium was being built, with the Millennium hosting: The stadium became notorious for an apparent "away team hoodoo"; the first 11 major cup finals were all won by the teams occupying the home dressing room. Stoke City beat Brentford 2–0 in 2002 to end

3290-420: The WRU had been chosen to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup. In 1995, the National Stadium, which was designed in 1962, only had a capacity of 53,000; other nations' stadia, such as Twickenham (England) with a capacity of 75,000, and Murrayfield Stadium (Scotland) with a capacity of 67,000, had overtaken it. France was also about to build the Stade de France , which would have a capacity of more than 80,000 for

3384-422: The WRU, the National Stadium project established that a new stadium for international matches and events was required, with Cardiff RFC moving to a new, purpose-built stadium on the original cricket ground at the site of the former Cardiff Arms Park stadium. By 7 April 1984 the National Stadium was officially opened. However, in 1994, a committee was set up to consider redeveloping the National Stadium, and by 1995

3478-427: The Wales Millennium Centre for the building's opening. The building was officially opened on the weekend of the 26, 27 and 28 November 2004. Bryn Terfel organised the ceremony and was the creative director of the weekend. Day 1 – 26 November 2004 The day started with a speech from WMC chairman Lord Rowe-Beddoe, who declared that the proceedings were under way. This was followed by a speech from Rhodri Morgan ,

3572-551: The Welsh Rugby Union announced a 10-year sponsorship deal with the Principality Building Society that saw the stadium renamed as the "Principality Stadium" from early 2016. Until 1969, Cardiff RFC and Wales both played their home matches on the same pitch at Cardiff Arms Park , but all this changed in the 1969–70 season. As a result of an agreement between Cardiff Athletic Club and

3666-501: The acoustic design. The main contractor was again Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, with MJN Colston Ltd responsible for the design and installation of all the mechanical, electrical and public health services in the building. Other subcontractors on the project included URS Corporation , Davis Langdon and Hulley & Kirkwood. Tim Green said that the exterior of phase 2 was designed to be in keeping with phase 1, while

3760-486: The alignment of the stadium from west–east to north–south. This was the option supported by the Millennium Commission . It would become the fourth redevelopment of the Cardiff Arms Park site. It was also decided that the new stadium should have a sliding roof to accommodate a multi-use venue, with a grass pitch for rugby and football. The only other sliding roofs in Europe at the time were at two Dutch stadia –

3854-662: The artists that entertained the audience during the first act. The second act was opened by the Welsh National Opera and later the Kirov Ballet and Cirque Éloize entertained the audience. Bryn Terfel ended the celebrations. The 2022/23 refurbishment of the Centre started with the opening on 27 August 2022 with an immersive theater space called Bocs (Welsh for box ). It has a programme of 360° films and projections, as well as extended reality experiences, including augmented reality , mixed reality and virtual reality . It

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3948-543: The bronze coloured dome which covers the Donald Gordon Theatre, is clad in steel that was treated with copper oxide . It was designed to withstand the weather conditions on the Cardiff Bay waterfront and to look increasingly better with age. The architect, Jonathan Adams, decided not to use copper and aluminium as they would both change colour with age and weather conditions. We all know that steel making has been important to south Wales , just as slate making has changed

4042-631: The building is clad in multi-coloured slate collected from Welsh quarries. Narrow windows are built into the layers of slate to give the impression of rock strata in sea cliffs. The purple slate came from the Penrhyn Quarry , the blue from Cwt y Bugail Quarry , the green from the Nantlle Valley , the grey from Llechwedd quarry , and the black from the Corris Quarry . I always loved going to Ogmore and Southerndown . I thought

4136-419: The cliffs there looked like a building anyway. A building capable of withstanding the roughest weather for hundreds of years. The older they get, the better they look. I wondered if it would be possible to make a building which had the same qualities as these magnificent cliffs. To do that I needed a lot of stone. Normal stone for buildings has to be specially cut into blocks; it takes a long time to make and costs

4230-558: The club to either move or secure funding for the Cardiff Arms Park to be re-developed, but these were unsuccessful. The stadium thus had to be completed with a break in its bowl structure in the North Stand, known colloquially as Glanmor's Gap, after Glanmor Griffiths , then chairman of the WRU and now a former president. The superstructure of the stadium is based around four 90.3-metre (296 ft) masts. The stadium

4324-787: The day, which concluded with a fireworks display in the Roald Dahl Plass . Day 3 – 28 November 2004 The final day of the opening weekend began with the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II , Prince Philip and the Prince of Wales , who met First Minister Rhodri Morgan and Lord Rowe-Beddoe, and marked the event by unveiling a plaque. A key was presented to the Queen by Richard Burton's granddaughter, Charlotte Frances Ritchie. Philip Madoc , Siân Phillips, Gaby Roslin , Michael Ball , Charlotte Church , Catrin Finch and Only Men Aloud! were among

4418-506: The external walls of the Wales Millennium Centre make use of conventional glass in a unique way: the sheets of glass are stacked together and fused in a kiln to form solid blocks." Calligraphy The inscription in the front of the building in Welsh reads: CREU GWIR FEL GWYDR O FFWRNAIS AWEN ( Creating Truth Like Glass From Inspiration's Furnace ). The inscription in English reads: IN THESE STONES HORIZONS SING Inscribed on

4512-547: The final of the European Rugby Champions Cup on seven occasions. The stadium has also been used for Celtic League games, and the semi-finals of the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2006 and 2007 . Since 2013, the Millennium Stadium has hosted Judgement Day , a double-header between the four Welsh United Rugby Championship teams. The 2016 edition had 68,262 spectators, the highest in the history of

4606-427: The forest. The design of the concourse galleries is intended to evoke the image of the edge of the forest, partly as a counterpoint to the coastal nature of the exterior, and partly because the edge of the forest in folklore and mythology represents a line between the real world and the magical world, a line which resembles the front edge of the theatre stage. The form of trees is created by the interweaving curvature of

4700-479: The front of the dome, above the main entrance, are two lines written by Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis in the Welsh and English languages. The lettering is formed by windows in the upstairs bar areas and is internally illuminated at night. The idea of this monumental inscription comes from Roman classical architecture . The Romans brought Christianity to these islands, along with the custom of engraving stone. The form of

4794-663: The funding of projects perceived as more populist, such as the Millennium Stadium . After the Cardiff Bay Opera House project was rejected, a new project was conceived that included more than opera and was felt to be a better reflection of Welsh culture. The change of name symbolised this, but the project still had to overcome many hurdles. Funding from the Welsh Assembly and Millennium Commission took years to obtain. Cardiff Council had to buy

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4888-523: The gallery edges, and by the random positioning of the supporting columns. —Jonathan Adams Glass Glass was used to incorporate into the bands of slate. It is 15-centimetre (5.9 in) thick and was cut and installed by the Architectural Glass Department at Swansea Institute of Higher Education. Glass is not used in the contemporary British architectural style of the glass curtain. Jonathan Adams said, "The glass veins in

4982-404: The general creative vision by which people and societies form their aspirations. [...] It was important to me that the English words on the building should not simply be a translation of the Welsh, that they should have their own message. The strata of the slate frontage of the Wales Millennium Centre reminded me of the horizons just beyond Penarth Head . The sea has, traditionally, been for Cardiff

5076-644: The ground are called the North Stand, the West Stand, the South Stand and the BT Stand (east). The South Stand was previously known as the Hyder Stand, until Hyder was sold. The stadium has three tiers of seating with the exception of the North Stand, which has two tiers. The lower tier holds 23,154 spectators, the middle tier holding 15,626 and the upper tier holding 35,151 spectators. The stadium

5170-697: The home of the Welsh rugby union team , who play all of their home fixtures at the venue. These games include those during the Six Nations , as well as the Autumn Internationals against nations from the Southern Hemisphere . Apart from the national team, the stadium has also hosted the European Rugby Champions Cup finals on five occasions. In total, the site, including the National Stadium , has hosted

5264-457: The interior had its own theme, that of a traditional Welsh chapel. He said that "The timber treatment at low level is very reminiscent of Victorian chapels and the masonry above. The stonework you would normally get in a stone chapel has been replaced by concrete." During the design and construction period, the project name for phase 2 was C Bay. Construction began in April 2007. It ended when

5358-665: The keys to the building were handed over at an official ceremony in September 2008, and BBC Wales began to fit out the interior of the Hoddinott Hall. Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( Welsh : Stadiwm y Mileniwm ), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( Welsh : Stadiwm Principality ) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales . Located in Cardiff , it

5452-440: The land after the previous owners, Grosvenor Waterside (the property division of Associated British Ports ) threatened to build a retail centre there due to the delays. Further boosts were given by large donations from South African businessman Donald Gordon and a loan from the international bank, HSBC . The £20 million donation from Donald Gordon was split evenly between the Royal Opera House and Wales Millennium Centre and

5546-423: The landscape of the north. We have to use a special type of steel that won't go rusty near to the salt-laden, maritime air of Cardiff Bay. This stainless steel will be made near to Pontypool . For the Wales Millennium Centre I thought it was important that the materials should have a "natural" texture, and that they should be instantly recognisable to anyone seeing them, even from a distance. For this reason I felt it

5640-414: The largest rugby league crowd at the stadium. Also, in 2007 the stadium hosted the inaugural Millennium Magic weekend. This was a two-day event in May when an entire round of Super League matches were played, three games on the Saturday and three games on the Sunday. The event was deemed a success by the sport's governing body, the RFL , and second Millennium Magic event took place in May 2008, although

5734-413: The league. The stadium hosted the first match in the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand when they drew 25–25 against Argentina in a warm-up test match. Welsh Varsity rugby matches On 30 March 2011, the stadium hosted the Welsh Varsity rugby match for the first time in the history of the match between the senior teams of Cardiff University and Swansea University . The stadium

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5828-414: The means by which the Welsh export their best to the world and the route by which the world comes to Cardiff. The stones inside the theatre literally sing with opera, musicals and orchestral music, and I wanted to convey the sense of an international space created by the art of music. —Gwyneth Lewis In These Stones Horizons Sing is also an orchestral work, composed by Karl Jenkins and commissioned by

5922-416: The neighbouring buildings to the south in Park Street, Wood Street and to the east in Westgate Street, and also by Cardiff Rugby Ground in the north. It was only fully visible from across the River Taff in the west. Access to the ground was also very restricted with the main entrance being a narrow opening in Westgate Street to the east which was shared by both vehicles and spectators alike. The options for

6016-463: The new stadium included adding a third tier to the existing National Stadium, or moving to a new site. This last option was discounted because it would have required a vast car parking facility, and that would have put severe short-term pressures on the local transport infrastructure, creating traffic jams and pollution. The committee eventually chose a new stadium on the same site but with considerable increase in its capacity. It would also involve moving

6110-400: The opening ceremony of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and Welsh Rugby League internationals ), speedway , boxing , the Wales Rally Great Britain stage of the World Rally Championship , Monster Jam and indoor cricket . The indoor cricket match between The Brits and a Rest of the World team for the Pertemps Power Cricket Cup, which took place on 4 and 5 October 2002. The stadium is

6204-459: The site, the Cardiff Bay Opera House, a plan supported by the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation to construct a permanent home for the Welsh National Opera . The project failed to win financial support from the Millennium Commission , the body which distributed funds from the UK National Lottery . An international design competition attracted 268 international applicants, and was won by Iraq-born architect Zaha Hadid . Her avant-garde design

6298-455: The stadium bowl-shaped and will increase its capacity to around 80,000. It will resolve the existing problems of deteriorating concrete quality on the old structure in the north stand. However the WRU has been more resistant to the proposal in recent years, stating that the concrete has not been deteriorating in recent years meaning the cost of replacing Glanmor's Gap would not justify the limited increase in capacity it would provide. In each of

6392-438: The stadium's bars, so-called "joy machines" can pour 12 pints in less than 20 seconds. During a Wales versus France match, 63,000 fans drank 77,184 pints of beer, almost double the 44,000 pints drunk by a similar number of fans at a game at Twickenham . The stadium has a resident hawk named "Dad", who is employed to drive seagulls and pigeons out of the stadium. In 2005 the stadium installed an "Arena Partition Drape System" –

6486-426: The stadium, the Millennium Commission , its caterers Letherby and Christopher ( Compass Group ) and by the then Wales Tourist Board . The curtain was supplied by Blackout. In May 2015, the chairman of the WRU, Gareth Davies , announced that the stadium would be fitted with new seats, replacing the original seats from 1999 at a cost of £4 million to £5 million, which would be completed by 2018. In addition

6580-399: The stands and all the 4,500 components of the roof. Construction involved the demolition of a number of buildings, primarily the existing National Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Wales Empire Pool (swimming pool) in Wood Street, Cardiff Empire Telephone Exchange building (owned by BT ) in Park Street, the newly built Territorial Auxiliary & Volunteer Reserve building in Park Street, and

6674-496: The walls. Like the exterior of the building, the principal internal spaces are designed to make the best use of natural materials in their natural state. The structure and detail of the concourse galleries echo the form of the exterior, with the curving strata formed in native hardwoods. Oak , ash , beech , sycamore , alder , birch , chestnut and cherry woods from renewable sources in mid-Wales will be used together in proportions that reflect their relative availability from

6768-468: The weekend of 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert. The centre is Cardiff's principal receiving venue for large-scale opera , ballet , contemporary dance and musicals . It comprises a large theatre and two smaller halls with shops, bars and restaurants. It houses Wales' national orchestra and opera, dance, theatre and literature companies, a total of eight arts organisations in residence. The main theatre,

6862-485: The world and one which belongs just to us. Words in songs, stories and poems have helped to make Wales the proud country that it is. —Jonathan Adams Gwyneth Lewis said of the inscription : I wanted the words to reflect the architecture of the building. Its copper dome reminded me of the furnaces from Wales's industrial heritage and also Ceridwen's cauldron, from which the early poet Taliesin received his inspiration ('awen'). Awen suggests both poetic inspiration and

6956-501: Was Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, Kelsey Roofing Industries Ltd was the roofing contractor, and Carr and Angier were theatre consultants. Other contractors included Stent (foundations), Swansea Institute of Higher Education, now part of University of Wales Trinity Saint David (glass), GH James Cyf ( stonemasonry ), Rimex ( stainless steel ), Alfred McAlpine (slate), Coed Cymru (wood), Ann Catrin Evans ( door furniture ) and Amber Hiscott ( etchings on glass walls). The architect's concept

7050-435: Was a building that expressed "Welshness" and was instantly recognisable. The building was designed to reflect many different parts of Wales with local Welsh materials that dominate its history: slate, metal, wood and glass. Many of the materials used come from Wales, including 1,350 tonnes of Welsh slate. 300,000 concrete blocks and a million metres of electric cable were also used in construction. Slate The exterior of

7144-743: Was accompanied by a fanfare from the National Youth Brass Band of Wales to Karl Jenkins' specially commissioned work In These Stones Horizons Sing, and the Wales Millennium Centre was open. The evening celebrations began with Cymru for the World , which celebrated the achievements of five leading Welsh artists; Gwyneth Jones , Shirley Bassey , Siân Phillips , Alun Hoddinott and Richard Burton , represented by his daughter Kate Burton . This included tributes from Robert Hardy , Jonathan Pryce , Derek Jacobi , Nana Mouskouri , Catrin Finch , Ruth Madoc and Ian McKellen . The concert

7238-553: Was announced in September 2022 that a £4 million refurbishment of the centre would take place and would include an area for cabaret acts, a redesigned foyer and new ticketing office, a 12 m (39 ft) long bar, a members’ bar and lounge, and bespoke seating areas. The cabaret area is simply called Cabaret and it replaced Ffresh restaurant/bar, with a 140-seat space, and it features drag , comedy, burlesque , and gig theatre. Cabaret opened in February 2023. The refurbishment

7332-497: Was being redeveloped between 2001 and 2006, as well as football matches during the 2012 Summer Olympics . The stadium is owned by Millennium Stadium plc, a subsidiary company of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The architects were Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture . The structural engineers were WS Atkins and the building contractor was Laing . The total construction cost of the stadium was £ 121 million, of which

7426-578: Was built from 56,000 tonnes of concrete and steel, and has 124 hospitality suites and 7 hospitality lounges, 22 bars, 7 restaurants, 17 first aid points, 12 escalators and 7 lifts. The stadium has 7 gates for access to the site; Gate 1 is from the River Walk via Castle Street (to the north), Gates 2 and 3 are via Westgate Street (to the east), Gate 4 which was renamed Gatland's Gate ( Welsh : Gât Gatland ) in honour of Warren Gatland in November 2019,

7520-609: Was carried out by interior designers Richard H Powell trading as Powell. Phase 2 of the Wales Millennium Centre is home to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) and the BBC National Chorus of Wales. BBC NOW moved from Studio 1 at Broadcasting House in Llandaff , which the orchestra had outgrown since the late 1960s. Phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert performed by

7614-404: Was designed by a team led by Rod Sheard at Lobb Sport Architecture, who later merged with HOK Sport to become Populous . The building contractor was Laing and the structural engineers were WS Atkins. Mike Otlet of WS Atkins designed the stadium's retractable roof, which was constructed by Kelsey Roofing Industries. Cimolai S.p.A. from Italy fabricated and erected the 72 steel plane frames for

7708-429: Was directed by Ken Caswell and conducted by David Charles Abell . Bryn Terfel started with a short speech and introduced the WMC singers and dancers, who in hard hats and donkey jackets sang and danced the story of the building's construction. They were later joined by all 322 participants in a chorus, including Gwyn Hughes Jones and Bryn Terfel. Dennis O'Neill sang a duet from Pearl Fishers . Diversions performed

7802-493: Was done for the Bronze Final between Wales and Australia which saw Wales defeated and take fourth place. The stadium hosted six pool matches, including two featuring Wales, and two quarter-final matches during the 2015 Rugby World Cup . The stadium first hosted rugby league football during the 2000 World Cup : a double header featuring Cook Islands versus Lebanon and Wales versus New Zealand that attracted

7896-528: Was first used for a major event on 26 June 1999, when Wales played South Africa in a rugby union test match before a crowd of 29,000. Wales won 29–19: the first time they had ever beaten the Springboks. On 8 September 2015 it was announced that the Millennium Stadium would be renamed Principality Stadium as the result of a 10-year naming rights deal with the Principality Building Society . Some fans expressed opposition on social media. On 22 January 2016,

7990-478: Was funded by private investment and £46 million of public funds from the Millennium Commission, the sale of debentures to supporters (which offered guaranteed tickets in exchange for an interest-free loan) and loans. The development left the WRU heavily in debt. The Millennium Stadium was named as such in recognition of the Millennium Commission's contribution to the building. The stadium

8084-448: Was important that the steel of the shell should have the rough grain and the riveted pattern that we think of as more typical of old industrial structures, such as those that used to be commonplace around the landscape of the industrial south. —Jonathan Adams Wood Both the inside and outside of the building – including the main Donald Gordon Theatre, the balconies and the rear of the building – are dominated by bands of hardwood lining

8178-436: Was made up of a modular system installed by GreenTech ITM . It features built in irrigation and drainage. The pitch itself was laid on top of some 7,412 pallets that could be moved so the stadium could be used for concerts, exhibitions and other events. In May 2014, after much trouble with disease and stability, the surface was removed and replaced with a more resilient interwoven sand based Desso pitch. The four ends of

8272-412: Was open to Welsh Rugby Union fans free of charge, providing that they wear red so that they could watch a live screening of the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-final between Wales and France that was played at Eden Park , Auckland , New Zealand. The match was screened on the stadium's existing large screens, on all of their television screens and on a screen that was brought in for the occasion. The same

8366-407: Was played against Finland in 2000, and drew a then-record home crowd for Welsh football of over 66,000. This has since been beaten on several occasions. However, since 2010, the majority of home games have been played at the smaller Cardiff City Stadium , the home of Cardiff City . Wales have only played at the stadium twice since 2009; in 2011 against England and in 2018 against Spain . While

8460-522: Was sculpted by Llantwit Major based sculptor Roger Andrews. The Welsh Government contributed £50,000, as did Cardiff Council . It was officially unveiled on 15 November 2009 by his daughter, Lady Mair Griffith-Williams. As well as international rugby union and association football, the Millennium Stadium has hosted a variety of sports, including, rugby league (including the Challenge Cup Final on three occasions between 2003 and 2005,

8554-446: Was slightly restricted in size due to its proximity to Cardiff Rugby Club's home in the adjacent smaller stadium within Cardiff Arms Park. The WRU were unable to secure enough funding to include the North Stand in the new stadium and the Millennium Commission would not allow any of its funds to be used in any way for the construction of a new stadium for Cardiff RFC. The WRU held talks with Cardiff RFC to see if it would be possible for

8648-479: Was so radical that she and a selection of other applicants were asked to submit revised designs for a second round of competition —which she again won with "a sleek and dazzling complex of sharp lines and surfaces that she compared to an 'inverted necklace'". In December 1995, the Millennium Commission decided against lottery funding for the project. It was suggested that the bid failed because of "the unpopular Conservative government's fear of controversy", favouring

8742-713: Was spread over five years. This is believed to be the largest single private donation ever made to the arts in the UK. In addition to the two main theatres of the Donald Gordon Theatre and Weston Studio Theatre, the 37,000-square-metre (400,000 sq ft) phase 1 of the Wales Millennium Centre has six function rooms: the Victor Salvi Room, the David Morgan Room, the Sony Room, the Seligman Room,

8836-438: Was then due to begin early in 2005. However, phase 2 construction did not actually begin until April 2007. Phase 2 was designed to fit into the WMC's curved slate frontage, with an upper part constructed from timber. Phase 2 of the WMC was designed by the then newly qualified Tim Green and Keith Vince of Capita Architecture, formerly called Capita Percy Thomas and now part of Capita Symonds , with Arup Acoustics again providing

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