SQLBits 2026 is Going Back to Newport, Wales.
SQLBits 2026 will be back at the International Convention Center Wales in Newport on April 22-25, and I’ll be there!
Bits was there in 2023, and they’ve got a recap video showing the venue.
This location is a little tricky for us Yanks: here’s where it’s at on Google Maps. For international visitors, you’ve got a few options:
- Fly into London Heathrow, then take a 3-hour train to Newport. This is the option I chose because there are non-stop flights from Vegas to Heathrow. I’ll fly into London arriving April 19, spend a day and a half in London, and then take the train over to Newport on Tuesday the 21st, the day before the conference. After the conference, I’ll catch the train back and fly out of Heathrow on Sunday.
- Fly into Cardiff (CWL, 15 mi away) or Bristol (BRS, 30 mi away), and take a taxi or train. If I lived on the East coast of the US, I’d check into this option, because there are affordable flights out of places like Atlanta. Nothing for Vegas though.
- Fly into London, then rent a car. I wouldn’t recommend this unless you wanna spend more than a week roaming around the UK, and can take your time gradually getting used to driving on the other side of the road. It’s way more challenging than you might expect. I’m a pretty good driver – I’ve never been ticketed for an accident – but I had multiple close calls driving in England and the Isle of Man.
You don’t really want a car during the conference. This year, Bits is selling packages with your hotel room included, and they’re looking at getting buses to take you to/from your hotel. If you stay at the Celtic Manor, you can just walk over to the ICC.
Plus, while you’re at the conference, the idea of this year’s event is to be really involved in the after-hours events at the venue itself. I’ll be at all of ’em this year.
When SQLBits is in London, the after-hours events like the Pub Quiz and the party aren’t very well-attended for a few reasons. Local transportation in London is kind of a pain in the butt, there are so many other distractions in London, and at the end of the day, a lot of locals just go home. In Newport, the venue is more all-encompassing: you’re going out there to have a good time with your fellow attendees during the day, AND after hours.
Early bird registrations will open up this month, and it’s time to start thinking about what sessions to submit. These days, there are so many tech topics: AI, Fabric, Azure, AWS, SQL Server 2025, and timeless dev & DBA topics. I need to think about what to submit, so I’ll put it to you, dear reader: what would be the topic that would compel your boss to whip out the credit card and buy your conference registration and plane ticket?
7 Comments. Leave new
Hi Brent! So train shouldn’t take 3 hours from Heathrow – should be more like 2hr15 to 2hr30. There are also direct buses (coaches) by National Express or Flixbus, which are usually cheaper but will take 3hr to 3hr30. So train defo the best option I’d say. Look forward to seeing you there!
Howdy! Yeah, but I usually round up because there’s the time to walk to baggage claim, pick up your luggage, walk to the train station, board, debark the train, get a taxi to the hotel, etc.
If you go to Cardiff: Check out the castle, it’s pretty cool.
– How to reduce Cloud costs?
– How ADF or other ETLs increase the cost of SQL database?
– Can SQL ConstantCare® reduce the cost of the Cloud?
Lol, I don’t think it’s that hard to drive, but the train is the way to do this.
Man, it shouldn’t be that hard to drive, but I’ve had a couple of bad experiences. The worst was getting off a red-eye flight, exhausted, hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight. I picked up my suitcase, got into a rental car in a rural UK area, pouring down rain, overcast and dark, and leaving the rental car parking lot, I had to drive straight into a roundabout. No other traffic there, so it wasn’t like I could follow traffic around with less mental activity on my part.
I sat there for a minute, then turned the car around, parked it back in the rental car lot, and took my bag back in to the counter, and turned the rental car in. The poor clerk was flabbergasted and apologized profusely for not being able to give me a refund, and I said, “It’s totally okay. I have to give you the car back because if I drive right now, I’m going to cause an accident, and it’s worth the rental fee for me to avoid that. I’ll just go get in a cab.”
Poor woman tried so hard to get me a refund, offered to call her supervisor, and I just kept saying no, it’s fine, just take the keys.
I got into a cab, and on the way to the hotel, I pretended like I was driving. I pointed in my lap at which direction I was going to go, which direction I would look for traffic, etc. I got it wrong time and again. I would have been in an accident for sure.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve driven on the left before, and I have a right hand drive car imported from Japan, and I can drive that on US roads without any problems. But man, after a long day of travel, things are different.
Another option, fly into Dublin then onto Cardiff. Short hop over.