This weeks entertainment roundup!

Here are some events coming up in Monmouthshire, Brecon and the Forest of Dean you don’t want to miss.

For more upcoming events, please email: [email protected]

Spanish guitar virtuoso Iago Banet is bringing his acclaimed acoustic guitar show to Hay-on-Wye later this year.

Banet, known as the “Galician King of Acoustic Guitar”, will perform at The Globe at Hay on Saturday, October 17 at 7:30pm.

The performance forms part of a three-date Welsh tour, with Banet also appearing at Mackenzie Hall in Brockweir on October 10 and The Old Library in Aberystwyth on October 18.

Banet has previously performed at Brecon Jazz and Aberjazz, as well as Celtic Connections, and has supported Jethro Tull in Spain.

His music combines gypsy jazz, blues, Americana, country, folk and swing.

He has also appeared twice on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and on BBC Radio 2’s The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews.

A Plymouth-based blues duo will perform at Brecon Tap this weekend as part of a free live music night.

Vince Lee and Sophie Lord will appear on Saturday, September 5, with the music getting under way at 9pm.

The event is being organised by the Mid Wales Rhythm and Blues Club and Brecon Music.

Lee has been playing and singing blues in its various forms since the mid-1980s, while Lord returned to Plymouth after 10 years working as a bass player in London.

She joined forces with Lee in 2022, with the pair developing their own take on the blues.

Admission to the Brecon Tap show is free.

For more information about the Mid Wales Rhythm and Blues Club, visit: http://midwalesrandb.club/

Llanidloes is set to become a chocolate destination once again when the Chocolate Festival of Wales returns for its second year.

The festival will take place on Saturday, October 24, bringing chocolate businesses from across Wales to the town for an indoor market and a programme of chocolate-themed events and activities.

The first festival attracted more than 2,000 people to Llanidloes, with visitors travelling from across Wales and beyond to attend.

The 2026 event will include family-friendly activities including chocolate tasting, film screenings, storytelling sessions, cooking demonstrations and outdoor activities.

The festival is free to attend, with many of the activities also available free of charge or at a low cost.

The event is hosted by the Llanidloes Chamber of Trade and aims to celebrate chocolate and cacao, as well as the town and its community.

Meredith Whitely, a Chamber of Trade member and part of the organising team, said the response to the first event had exceeded expectations and that she was looking forward to this year’s event.

“It was exciting to see so many of the businesses across town filled with customers for our first year,” she said.

“We had people travel from all over Wales to visit our lovely town and try some chocolate.”

“We didn’t know what to expect from the first event, so it exceeded our expectations and we can’t wait to create something just as special this year,” she added.

Organisers will release a more detailed programme as the festival approaches.

Updates will be shared through the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as its website.

Further details, including the full programme of events and participating businesses, will be announced closer to the date.

Welsh chocolate-based businesses interested in taking part can contact Meredith Whitely directly via email at [email protected]

Country pop will take centre stage at Llandrindod Wells’ Albert Hall as a new autumn season of live entertainment gets under way.

The volunteer-run venue will welcome Shania & Friends on Saturday, September 26, for an evening celebrating the country-pop crossover of the 1990s and 2000s.

Produced by White Orchid Promotions Ltd, the fully live tribute show will begin with a set dedicated to international superstar Shania Twain.

Audiences can expect some of Twain’s biggest hits, including Man! I Feel Like a Woman!, From This Moment and That Don’t Impress Me Much.

The second half will feature the Cross Country Band, performing songs from a selection of country stars who helped define the genre during the 1990s and 2000s.

The set will include music associated with Garth Brooks, LeAnn Rimes, The Zac Brown Band and Lady A.

The show marks the beginning of a packed autumn programme at the Albert Hall, with a range of acts and live entertainment planned over the coming months, offering something to suit every taste.

The Jerseys will return to the venue for their seventh visit, while The Searchers and Hollies Experience will make their debut on the 2026 programme.

Movie and musical theatre showcase Movicals will also return for a second visit, while dS:uK will be back for its fifth appearance, paying tribute to British rock legends Dire Straits.

The varied programme is designed to offer something for music fans of different tastes.

Tickets and full details of upcoming shows at the Albert Hall are available through the venue’s website, which can be found at https://thealberthall.co.uk/whats-on or TicketSource.

Tickets can also be booked through TicketSource by calling 0300 102 4255 and selecting option one.

The Albert Hall’s autumn programme gets under way with Shania & Friends on September 26.

Farmyard Circus will bring a lively mix of circus, theatre and live music to Hay Castle on Sunday, August 30.

The family-friendly show, inspired by life on the farm, will feature group acrobatics and juggling using hay bales, wheelbarrows, a tractor tyre and even an old scarecrow.

The outdoor spectacle will be performed on the castle lawn at 11.30am and 2.30pm, with the nine-strong company combining circus skills with old-time tunes and lively rhythms.

Farmyard Circus began creating work together in 2019 and specialises in outdoor circus theatre inspired by farm life.

Tickets cost £12 for adults, £7 for under-16s and £30 for a family ticket.

Tickets are available through the Hay Castle website: www.haycastletrust.org