CofGâr, the Carmarthenshire County Council museums and arts service, has announced a vibrant and diverse lineup of exhibitions and events for 2025 to early 2026. The programme will take place at Carmarthenshire Museum, Dylan Thomas Boathouse, the Museum of Land Speed, and Parc Howard Museum.

At the Carmarthenshire Museum, Exploring Ancient Egypt: The Story of Harold Jones, takes place from now until September 2025. The exhibition highlights the contributions of Harold Jones, a Carmarthenshire-raised artist and archaeologist, a colleague of Howard Carter who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb. Later in the year, Memory and Ritual, from October 2025 to April 2026, delves into Welsh customs of remembrance and local folklore.

At the Dylan Thomas Boathouse, Laugharne, which celebrates one of Wales’ most famous writers, work is ongoing to reinterpret the visitor experience. Dylan Thomas lived at the Boathouse for the last four years of his life, during which time he wrote Under Milk Wood. The centre now has renewed displays and a full events programme, including creative writing workshops in the spring.

Taking in the tranquillity of the region’s beaches, it may be a surprise to know the area was a centre for world speed records. The Museum of Land Speed is based at Pendine Sands where the hard surface provided a natural racetrack, making the sands a global centre of speed records in the ‘20s. In addition to exhibits from world speed record holding vehicles, an exhibition is currently running until November celebrating the all-women team that raced in the Le Mans 24-Hours in 1935, known as ‘George Eyston’s Dancing Daughters’.

At Parc Howard Museum, Llanelli, the mission is to inspire the next generation of inventors. The museum, set in an Italianate mansion house, has recently undergone a makeover, with new exhibitions celebrating Llanelli entrepreneurs and an interactive, family-friendly experience. It also houses an impressive collection of Twentieth Century Welsh art and the largest public display of Llanelly Pottery in the world.

Exhibitions running this year include Smashing Boundaries, on until October, which celebrates women in sports in Carmarthenshire, inspired by the success of athletes like track cyclist Emma Finucane in the Olympics. Later in the year, from November 2025 to March 2026, The Wild Men of Arenig exhibition will showcase watercolours by Llanelli-born artist James Dickson Innes and works from Augustus John and Derwent Lees, highlighting the influence of the ‘Arenig Group’ of artists.