The ‘Dragon’s Breath’ immersive night-time experience will combine fire, music, poetry and performance for four nights at the end of this month, in trailblazer event ahead of the Botanic Garden’s 25th anniversary next year

The festival of fire, folklore, fantasy and Welsh culture is a collaboration between the team at the Botanic Garden and outdoor events specialists Walk the Plank, delivering an experiential night-time fire-trail that showcases the magic of the garden after dark. It will feature intricate hand-crafted fire sculptures, harmonised with performances from artists, poets and musicians who will impart to visitors the spectacular story of the Dragon’s Breath as they make their way along the fire-lit pathways of the Carmarthenshire landmark.

Designed for visitors young and old, the Dragon’s Breath event features poetry and song that is rich with Celtic resonance. It is an environmental allegory centred around a dying dragon who has abandoned its home on the coast of Rhossili on the nearby Gower Peninsula to find sanctuary in the lake behind the Garden’s iconic Great Glasshouse.

Featuring the poetry of Dylan Thomas and new work from former Children Poet’s Laureate Connor Allen, the bold event will offer visitors an enchanting and thought provoking evening.

Walk the Plank Senior Producer Bev Ayre says: “Being able to utilise the magnificent, moody and moving prose of Dylan Thomas, right in the heart of his homeland, as well as working with new literary stars of the future like Connor, who was Children’s Poet Laureate for the past two years, has been wonderful. We’ve also been working with production students from the nearby University of Wales Trinity St Davids who have been helping us to create our set designs.”

National Botanic Garden of Wales Director Dr Lucy Sutherland adds: “The Dragon’s Breath event is the largest event the Botanic Garden has ever hosted, and it’s a purposefully ambitious spectacle, with a vital environmental message at its heart.

The event will take place from Thursday to Sunday, October 24 to 27 (autumn half term), 6pm – 10pm. Visit botanicgarden.wales for more information.