‘Maybe it’s because we love the sesh’: how Wales is bucking Britain’s pub-closing trend

On a hot Thursday evening in Canton, a buzzy Cardiff neighbourhood, a steady stream of people in sunglasses, shorts and dresses went back and forth between bar and garden at the city’s newest pub, the Pig & Swill. Next door, in Victoria Park, the splash pad was still heaving with families making the most of the tail-end of the May heatwave. Many parents and carers stopped by for takeaway pints and small plates. “Business has been really good since we opened a few weekends ago. We are really blown away by the positive reception and how the community has responded to us,” said Lewis Dwyer, the Pig & Swill’s co-founder. Recently published industry futures suggest British pubs are in deepening trouble. A total of 161, or two a day, closed in the first quarter of 2026 amid higher taxes, inflated food and energy bills and regulatory costs. The closures were up 26% on the same period last year and equate to the loss of approximately 2,400 jobs, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA). The only part of the country to buck the trend was Wales , where three new pubs opened. At least three more – the Pig & Swill and nearby Vicino in Cardiff, and The Nelson in Rhyl – have followed in April and May. “Maybe it’s because we [Welsh people] love the sesh,” joked Dwyer. Dwyer and partner Andy Aston already owned Hiraeth, a popular Michelin Guide-listed restaurant on the other side of the road. …