The Winterval Festival 2024 in Waterford is set to open with three days of celebrations as the City begins its 12th annual Winterval Festival and its title as the European City of Christmas.
On Friday, November 15th festive events commence and getting the super-sized offering of festivities underway this year will be the Mayor of Waterford City and County, Councillor Jason Murphy, and, of course, Santa Claus will be arriving just in time from the North Pole to switch on the Christmas lights at the city at a fun-filled ceremony on Friday November 15th at 6 pm and declaring the festival open. Waterford In Your Pocket will be live streaming the event just in case you can’t make it in.
At 5.30 pm on Saturday, November 16th, the now famous Winterval Parade will take place in the City with a ceremony to officially declare the European City of Christmas title. In what is set to be an epic celebration with a festive parade arriving at Parnell St and travelling onto The Mall with a spectacular special effects display to be showcased from the roof of the beautiful Bishop’s Palace, audiences will be awed with sounds, light, colour and performance.
Ireland’s Biggest Christmas Festival ‘Winterval’ Officially Opens Today
600,000 visitors expected to enjoy festive fun in Waterford
Today (November 17th) at 6 pm Santa will arrive from the North Pole to Ireland’s oldest City in order to switch on the Christmas lights and mark the beginning of Ireland’s biggest Christmas Festival – Winterval.
Santa Claus will roll into Waterford City inside a gigantic festive bauble partaking in a Christmas Parade which will culminate at the Winterval Main Stage at the top of John Robert’s Square for the switching on the City’s lights with the Mayor of Waterford Cllr. Joe Conway and nine-year-old competition winner Aoibhinn Browne.
From that point onwards Waterford will transform into a Christmas winter wonderland of magical festive entertainment with the opening of the City Fairground and Winterval on Ice, the first Christmas Circus show, the first Narnia Christmas Show will commence at Jenkin’s Lane Big Top, the first Winterval Illuminates light show will begin at Arundel Square from 7 pm, and the Glenveagh Winterval Food & Craft Market will open across the City centre. The entertainment will continue on into the wee hours across Waterford’s busy bars and restaurants right around the city.
The full programme of events is on offer until December 23rd. Highlights include the vintage Ferris wheel, a vintage carousel, the Port of Waterford Eye, the Winterval Mini Express train, Glow Gardens, a virtual ride in Santa’s sleigh a Deise Medieval Viking Village Show
The parade will feature some of the wonderful delights of the festival including the acts from The Trash Test Dummies, the cast of Waterford Panto’s ‘and the delightful Waterford Viking Elves, ‘old world’ choristers, the Winterval Mini Express Train, visitors from The North Pole, Monster Trucks, Nutcracker Brass Band, Fire Performers, some of the big man’s naughtiest elves and even Mrs Claus.
On Sunday at 12 noon the ‘Gateway to Brno’ will be officially opened, with the first exchange taking place between Europe’s City of Christmas – Waterford, and Europe’s Capital of Christmas Brno in the Czech Republic. Throughout the festival visitors to Waterford’s Apple Market will be able to enjoy a cultural exchange with the people of the Czech Republic along with a calendar of festive performances planned for airing during the festival’s opening hours.
The Winterval 2024 programme is packed with festival favourites like the Winterval Illuminates Lightshow offering an enchanting evening spectacle, the ice rink on the city’s Quayside, the vintage Ferris wheel at Arundel Square, a vintage carousel in John Robert’s Square, the Port of Waterford Eye and the Winterval mini Express train, the Elf workshops, Polish Christmas, Santa’s VR sleigh ride in Cathedral Square, helter-skelter and more. Santa takes centre stage of course at the festival in the City’s medieval caverns underneath the stunning Medieval Museum in the Viking Triangle.
There are over 50 events and over half are free of charge, some of the free events on the programme include a magical GLOW garden, a Viking Elf trail hunt, a Viking Yule Village by Deise Medieval, storytelling sessions with Kitty Caboodle, a roaming ‘Old World group of carolers’ a free music stage, a model circus and fairground exhibition and lots more.
New events at Ireland’s largest Christmas festival include a brand new Gingerbread Making Workshop event for all the family, an Igloo Exploration Dome offering a 5D experience with audiences travelling through time inside; a gigantic Circus Museum will be on offer at City Hall’s Large Room; what is sure to be a sell-out at Garter Lane is a new show titled ‘Trash Test Dummies’ by the award-winner Dummies Corp., the Australian leader in slapstick children’s comedy, and for the adventure seekers and a ‘boys day out’ opportunity there will be a huge Monster Truck and stunt show in Ireland’s largest circus tent and lots lots more.
To attract new audiences to Winterval 2024 and scaling the festival up after dark is a brand-new after-dark programme of events for adults, ‘The Winterval Big Top Live’ will host a series of events, artists and performances throughout the festival with gig tickets available for sale on www.winterval.ie from today. Artists include Gavin James, Mick Flannery, Stereo MCs, EMF, and 30 Years of House Music with Tasty Choons for Tasty People.
A primary attraction is The Glenveagh Christmas Market at Winterval 2024 and this year over 100 food, craft and drinks producers and creators are set to feature across the festival. It is set out in a series of attractive wooden cabins through the spine of Ireland’s oldest city into the cultural quarter; spanning the Viking city from George’s Street to Hanover Street and onto O’Connell Street and Gladstone Street, and all in the midst of the Winterval family fun attractions. Soak up the sparkly Christmas atmosphere and yuletide spirit, browse the many Christmas craft and food stalls and support local, regional and national producers, makers and creators this festive season.
The 12th annual Winterval Festival programme is available to view and book online at www.winterval.ie
Winterval 2024 is supported by Waterford City and County Council as well as a host of other local, national and international businesses, all of whom have a keen interest in Waterford and the Southeast region.
