You may have heard of the Danish word “hygge”, but in 2025, we in Wales invite you to feel the “hwyl”.
While hygge, which became something of a global obsession back in 2016, involves deriving pleasure from cosy surroundings, the Welsh term hwyl is all about feeling the joy that comes from being totally immersed in the moment.
It can be found in those activities that allow you to slow right down and disconnect from the modern world, say, a walk along a beautiful stretch of Welsh coastline or a morning session in a beachside sauna. But equally, you can experience hwyl when the adrenaline is pumping, perhaps during a music concert in a 13th-century castle, or being on cusp of catching a perfect wave rolling towards one of Wales’ world-famous golden beaches.
So, hwyl is an elastic sort of word, but it’s all about the happiness that comes from present-ness. If we were to put it into a mathematical formula, we’d say it is unburdened adventure combined with unparalleled beauty, plus the warmth of the Welsh people, multiplied by the epic landscapes of Wales – together, this equals hwyl.
The new campaign, forming part of the wider 2025 Year of Croeso initiative, has launched with a promotional video, led by Maxine Hughes, who viewers may recognise from her involvement with the globally-streamed documentary, Welcome to Wrexham. (And we’ve certainly felt hwyl watching Wrexham’s success on the pitch in recent seasons!)
Speaking about the launch of the new hwyl campaign, the Economy Secretary, with responsibility for Tourism, Rebecca Evans, said, ‘2025 will celebrate the joyful things that make us distinctively Welsh and can only be experienced here in Wales. We want to share our warm “croeso” (welcome) and unique “hwyl” with the world and invite them to not just see but feel, taste and truly experience the “must do” things we have on offer.’
Now you know what hwyl is all about, read more about ways to experience it for yourself in Wales – then share your hwyl with us by adding #FeeltheHwyl or #Hwyl on your social posts and you could be featured on our website!