Welsh pub in New Zealand marks Christmas in June

The Welsh Dragon Bar in Wellington celebrates two Christmases, one in December and one in June

When you think of Christmas, you usually think of cold weather, long nights and open fires.

But for those living in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed, Christmas Day falls in the middle of summer.

However, a group of Welsh expats in New Zealand cannot get through winter without a bit of Christmas cheer, so are celebrating on Sunday - exactly six months from the big day.

“It’s really nice to get everyone together to celebrate, and the New Zealanders enjoy embracing our culture as well,” said Hannah Williams.

With the Welsh flag adorning the wall, the Welsh Dragon bar aims to give its customers a true Welsh pub experience

"It’s winter here in New Zealand, so it’s a Christmas feel."

Hannah runs the Welsh Dragon Bar in New Zealand's capital, Wellington, where the celebrations will take place.

The bar is “home to all things Welsh in New Zealand” and the staff believe it is only Welsh pub in the Southern Hemisphere.

“We’ve got a plaque on the outside of the bar that says it in quotation marks. As far as we know, we are [the only one].”

With a beer garden, Brains beer on tap and Penderyn whisky on the shelf, dogs welcome and a roaring fire, Hannah said the pub aims to give customers “the whole Welsh pub experience”.

The 33-year-old moved to New Zealand from Wrexham when she was 26 and has been working at the Welsh Dragon Bar for the past four years.

She is not the only Welsh person behind the bar.

Co-owner Andrew Jones is from Tonyrefail, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and three other employees, including the pub quiz master, Paula, hail from Wrexham.

Hannah said they like to run their mid-winter Christmas event simply because it is “a good excuse to have a Welsh Christmas celebration”.

“It’s enjoyable to have [actual Christmas] in the summer, and it’s nice to have barbecues and things here for Christmas dinner,” Hannah said.

“But we definitely miss Wales.”

Hannah says the pub gets their customers in the Christmas spirit with decorations and a secret Santa

The event will feature tinsel and a tree decorating the pub, a three-course meal with turkey for the main, and a secret Santa present exchange among all the guests.

Given that it is forecast to be 17C (62F) and rainy on Sunday in Wellington, the weather will not be too far removed from a Welsh Christmas Day - even if a few degrees warmer.

According to Hannah, the event is sold out and is very popular with both the Welsh and New Zealanders alike.

“We’ve got a lot of New Zealand community within the pub, and they like to get involved and actually enjoy the whole pub feel," she said.

Hannah is not the only Welsh employee, as many behind the bar were born and raised on Welsh soil

“New Zealand is extremely similar to Wales,” Hannah added. “Very much the same great, lovely people.”

This means that while she does miss home, she and her co-workers get to enjoy “a great sense of Wales in the pub".

Outside of their mid-winter Christmas, Hannah said the pub brings in lots of visitors from far and wide.

“We get lots of tourists coming through, and New Zealanders,” she said.

“They enjoy the Welsh pub experience because it’s very much different to a lot of bars or places that you would go to in New Zealand.”

And come 25 December, the pub celebrates a classic, warm New Zealand Christmas.

“We do Christmas Day in the bar. It’s usually sunny,” Hannah said.

“Everyone goes out in the garden, has a drink in the sun, and we’ve got really good beer that attracts a lot of people on Christmas Day.

“It’s great to embrace the culture on this side of the world.”