'Merlin Hunt' for Carmarthen festival
A Merlin Hunt is taking place through the centre of Carmarthen as part of the town’s Merlin Festival.
Organisers have identified eight shops in the town centre who are displaying a Merlin puppet in their window with a number on it.
Members of the public are being encouraged to use the clues given in the Carmarthen Journal, on discovercarmarthenshire.com and from the Tourist Information Centre to find the puppets and complete the application form. These will also be available on the day.
The prize is a bicycle worth £100 and a family cinema ticket for Apollo cinema sponsored by Merlin’s Walk and St Catherine’s Walk.
The Merlin, Magic and Mystery Festival itself will take place on Saturday August 13 to celebrate the legend and folklore of the town’s ancient links with the world’s most famous wizard.
Members of the public are being asked to dress up in magical costumes, which could include Harry Potter lookalikes as the film will be showing at the end of July.
Organisers have also been promised reduced tickets for 10.30am showing of the film on the day of the event and have asked all shops to dress up in costume for the event and all cafes to theme their menus.
The themes for the Festival are:
1 - One for sorrow two for joy – King street
2 - Sweet tooth – Notts Square
3 - Pop in for a coffee - Jacksons Lane
4 - Blooming marvellous – Indoor market
5 - For your latest blockbuster – St Catherine’s walk
6 - Information Centre for Carmarthenshire – Lammas Street
7 - Pick up a catalogue – Merlin’s Walk
8 - Find a book – Merlin’s Walk
Magical and mysterious themed activities will take place throughout the day at Notts Square, Kings Street, Merlin’s Walk and St Catherine’s Walk.
Festivities will include a magic and mystery Academy, themed stilt walkers, storytelling and mix 'n' mingle with entertainers, Welsh folk music and arts and craft workshops. St Catherine’s Walk has also confirmed a Birds of Prey static display between 10am-5pm.
The event is being staged by Carmarthenshire County Council and supported by St Catherine’s Walk and Merlin’s Walk.
Executive board member for regeneration and leisure, Cllr Clive Scourfield, said: “The Merlin Festival is great fun and a wonderful way to celebrate the history and mythology of Carmarthen.
“This year’s event will be better than ever, with more events planned and more interaction for visitors and traders.”
Carmarthen - reputedly Wales’s oldest town dating back more than 2,000 years - celebrates its past and links with the legendary wizard Merlin every year.
Merlin is best known as the magician of Arthurian legend, but Carmarthen lays its own claim to the man of mystery from the past.
The name Myrddin may have arisen from the Roman period Celtic name for a place in Wales, Mori-dunon meaning ‘sea fort’.
The name became Carmarthen/Caerfyrddin, which can be loosely translated as Fort of Moridunum, since a caer is a fortified royal residence. It seems that the name was taken to mean ‘Caer of some man called Myrddin’.
Organisers have identified eight shops in the town centre who are displaying a Merlin puppet in their window with a number on it.
Members of the public are being encouraged to use the clues given in the Carmarthen Journal, on discovercarmarthenshire.com and from the Tourist Information Centre to find the puppets and complete the application form. These will also be available on the day.
The prize is a bicycle worth £100 and a family cinema ticket for Apollo cinema sponsored by Merlin’s Walk and St Catherine’s Walk.
The Merlin, Magic and Mystery Festival itself will take place on Saturday August 13 to celebrate the legend and folklore of the town’s ancient links with the world’s most famous wizard.
Members of the public are being asked to dress up in magical costumes, which could include Harry Potter lookalikes as the film will be showing at the end of July.
Organisers have also been promised reduced tickets for 10.30am showing of the film on the day of the event and have asked all shops to dress up in costume for the event and all cafes to theme their menus.
The themes for the Festival are:
1 - One for sorrow two for joy – King street
2 - Sweet tooth – Notts Square
3 - Pop in for a coffee - Jacksons Lane
4 - Blooming marvellous – Indoor market
5 - For your latest blockbuster – St Catherine’s walk
6 - Information Centre for Carmarthenshire – Lammas Street
7 - Pick up a catalogue – Merlin’s Walk
8 - Find a book – Merlin’s Walk
Magical and mysterious themed activities will take place throughout the day at Notts Square, Kings Street, Merlin’s Walk and St Catherine’s Walk.
Festivities will include a magic and mystery Academy, themed stilt walkers, storytelling and mix 'n' mingle with entertainers, Welsh folk music and arts and craft workshops. St Catherine’s Walk has also confirmed a Birds of Prey static display between 10am-5pm.
The event is being staged by Carmarthenshire County Council and supported by St Catherine’s Walk and Merlin’s Walk.
Executive board member for regeneration and leisure, Cllr Clive Scourfield, said: “The Merlin Festival is great fun and a wonderful way to celebrate the history and mythology of Carmarthen.
“This year’s event will be better than ever, with more events planned and more interaction for visitors and traders.”
Carmarthen - reputedly Wales’s oldest town dating back more than 2,000 years - celebrates its past and links with the legendary wizard Merlin every year.
Merlin is best known as the magician of Arthurian legend, but Carmarthen lays its own claim to the man of mystery from the past.
The name Myrddin may have arisen from the Roman period Celtic name for a place in Wales, Mori-dunon meaning ‘sea fort’.
The name became Carmarthen/Caerfyrddin, which can be loosely translated as Fort of Moridunum, since a caer is a fortified royal residence. It seems that the name was taken to mean ‘Caer of some man called Myrddin’.
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