Cardiff Fancy Dress Shop
We've been selling costumes, jokes and party gear from 9 Duke Street for over twenty years — right in the middle of Cardiff, a few doors from the Castle. If you've ever bought a wig, a whoopee cushion or a full gorilla suit in this city, there's a decent chance you bought it from us.
The shop is still the shop. The website just means you don't have to be in Cardiff to use it.
Where to find us
The Joke Shop
9 Duke Street
Cardiff
CF10 1AY
Shop: 029 2022 9267
Trade & wholesale: 07850 675739
Email: info@jokeshop.com
Duke Street runs along the south side of Cardiff Castle, at the top of the city centre shopping area and a short walk from the Castle Quarter arcades, St Mary Street and Cardiff Central.
Opening hours
Monday to Saturday: 09:00 – 18:00
Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00
What's in the shop
Two decades of stock decisions, most of them sensible. The range covers:
- Fancy dress costumes for adults and children, across every theme and era
- Jokes and pranks — the whoopee cushions, stink bombs and fake bugs the shop is named after
- Wigs, hats and accessories to finish an outfit you've already half-planned
- Hen and stag party supplies — sashes, veils, badges and the rest
- Halloween — masks, face paint, fake blood and costumes, from about August onwards
- Welsh hats — daffodil hats and hooded dragon hats, which move rather quickly around the first of March and every home international
If you'd rather browse before you travel, the full range is on this site and everything you see online is the same stock we sell over the counter.
Why come in rather than order online
Sizing, mostly. A costume that looks right on a screen can arrive fitting nobody, and a wig you can put your hands on is a different proposition to one in a photograph. In the shop you can try things, hold them up, and get an honest answer about whether the cheap version will survive the night.
The other reason is speed. If the party is tonight, no delivery service is going to help you. We can.
And if you're dressing a group — a hen do, a rugby weekend, a whole office — it's usually faster to come in and work through it with someone than to fill a basket and hope.
Dressing up in Cardiff
The shop's calendar follows the city's. Six Nations weekends and home internationals at the Principality Stadium bring in the flags, the daffodil hats and the full Welsh kit. St David's Day does the same for schools. Pride Cymru clears out the glitter and rainbow accessories. Halloween is its own season. Then there's varsity, the Cardiff Half, Christmas work dos and a steady run of stag and hen parties passing through the city all year.
If you're organising something for a group and you're not sure where to start, phone the shop. It's usually a five-minute conversation.
Trade and wholesale
We supply costumes, novelties and party goods to trade customers as well as the public — useful for entertainers, event companies, schools, theatre groups and other retailers. For trade pricing and availability, call 07850 675739 or email info@jokeshop.com.
Can't get to Cardiff?
Everything in the shop is available to order for delivery across the UK. Standard delivery is £3.99 and arrives in 2–3 working days; next day delivery is £8.99 on orders placed Monday to Thursday. Order before 2pm on a weekday and we'll dispatch the same day, subject to stock. See delivery & returns for full details.