Inside UK’s booziest Xmas bar crawl where ‘yummy mummies’ go wild on cheap vodka and kebab mountains pile up on streets

TOWERS of empty kebab boxes pile messily on top of overflowing bins, the cheap vodka is flowing – and so are the gutters.

It’s a messy Friday night before Christmas and Britain’s booziest festive bar crawl is heaving. Often, quite literally, as the mobs of police officers on watch drag inebriated lads off the floor.

This is St Mary’s Street in Cardiff – a city that recently ranked as the second cheapest night out in Britain, with an average pint of beer costing just £3.43 and cab fares just £11 for a five-mile trip.

Only bested by Dundee, Scotland, in the analysis by Infinity Calculator, the Welsh capital’s budget thrills are a draw all year round for stag and hen weekends, but in the cold December evenings, all bets are truly off.

The pedestrianised street, lined with bars, fast food restaurants and trendy bistros, is a magnet for students and office workers who have stayed in town for Christmas parties and drinks.

Necklines plunge as low as the winter temperatures, with revellers hopping coat-less from venue to venue in large, noisy groups.

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“This is the best city in the world for a night out,” beams Mia, 21, who is in her final year of a social studies degree at Cardiff University.

She has joined a long queue of people waiting to get into an already-packed cocktail bar and, like her three friends also studying at the Welsh uni, is dressed in a bright red Santa Claus outfit.

The four pals have been drinking since late afternoon, she tells The Sun as we catch up with boozers on the bar trail. “We started at home with cans of lager and cider because it’s cheaper, then we came into town.

“From here, we’ll drink vodka-based cocktails, then vodka and Coke for the rest of the night. So basically, vodka.

“We’ll end up in a club and when we’re kicked out at 4 o’clock in the morning, we’ll grab a McDonald’s before heading home.

“It’s our last night out in Cardiff before we go back to our families in London, so we’re making it count. We are going to get absolutely smashed.”

Her friend, Katie, 21, a psychology student also in her final year, agrees.

She says: “We’re all from London, but I prefer Cardiff because it’s like a smaller, more manageable version of London.

“Cardiff is so cool. It’s got world-class facilities but still feels like a lovely, welcoming village. And the nightlife is just fantastic.

“There are so many bars and places to eat in this one street alone that there’s no need for us to go anywhere else tonight. Our entire night out is this 100-metre stretch of town.

“Because we’re all going back home after this weekend, we’re making the most of tonight. We’ll stay together and look after one another, but we don’t need to worry because it’s a very safe city.”

He is going to have a hell of a hangover in the morning

Reveller Michelle

Also with them is Jemma, 21, a third-year journalism student, and Gabe, 22, who is in his final year of an architecture degree.

Gabe, also from London, says: “Keeping up with the girls drinks-wise is not easy, but I’m giving it a good go this evening.

“I can’t wait to go dancing later. This is our Christmas send-off. It’s been full on at uni this term and our final exams start not long after we come back in the New Year, so this is our last chance to party for a while.

“I’ve loved my time in Cardiff and I’m considering looking for work here and staying after I’ve graduated.

“There is an incredible vibe to this place and the Welsh have been very welcoming. And the booze is cheap!”

‘Ready to party’

There’s certainly a competitive market for cut-price booze in this party hotspot, with more than 300 licensed premises in a half a mile radius.

And over the years, it’s led to some truly eye-popping scenes – perhaps only rivalled by nearby Swansea, where the annual Beaujolais Nouveau Day knees up recently saw raucous locals getting naked in smoking areas and brawls breaking out in the street.

As midnight approaches, similar scenes beckon in Cardiff too. More police officers move into St Mary’s Street, though their presence seems to be mainly a gesture of reassurance and to deter those who might want to spoil the fun.

However, in the early hours, scuffles do break out and the officers are quick to react, running in numbers to break up fighting.

In one instance, a young lad in his late teens becomes abusive to one of the cops and is led away to a nearby police car, but collapses on the ground before he can be bundled into the back seat.

When more brawls erupt nearby, the officers abandon him and the youth staggers to his feet – before being swept away into the night by his exasperated pals.

Shortly after, Michelle, a carer in her early 50s and a mother to four grown-up children, is concerned when she sees a man in his early 20s lying outstretched half on the pavement and half in the road.

He appears lifeless and has clearly been drinking heavily throughout the night. She stoops down to check his pulse and rouses him back to consciousness.

“Phew,” she says as she gets back to her feet. “I have a son his age and I’d hate to see him in that state.

“He’s clearly had a good drink tonight, but he ought to have stopped an hour or two ago, judging by the state of him.

“He is going to have a hell of a hangover in the morning.”

For her part, Michelle says she is out on the town every Friday night – not just in the run-up to Christmas.

“Me and my friends do this every weekend of the year,” she laughs.

“Most of the people out tonight are having Christmas drinks, and maybe a meal, but we do this all the time. Me and my friends work hard all week, so by Friday night we’re ready to party.”

‘Money well spent’

Her friend, Carrie-Ann, who is in her mid-40s and also works as a carer, says she will spend a total of around £300 on booze and taxis over two nights in the Welsh capital.

“It’s money well spent,” she says. “We work so hard all week. We deserve a couple of nights out at the weekend.

“We’ll keep going until around four in the morning, then get a cab home. And on Saturday we do it all again. We are warriors.”

Their friend Stacey, 33, who describes herself as “a single yummy mummy“, pitches in: “I don’t actually get out that often because my children are young, but tonight is my Christmas p**s up.

“I’ve been drinking vodka all night and as long as I stick to that I’ll be okay. It’s when you mix your drinks that you get in a mess.“

At 2am, the bars and clubs are still rammed and swathes of people meander up and down St Mary Street looking for what may be their final venue.

Halfway along the street, three gentlemen’s clubs are situated within 50m of each other, but the bars are still winning the popularity contest.

Passerby Ben, 18, says: “I’ve no interest in blowing 100 quid on two or three drinks and a lap dance.

“I’d rather spend my money in bars chatting and having a dance with my mates.”