- Summer in the City, Waterford City (every weekend June to August): A free outdoor music and arts festival series that brings live music, family entertainment, workshops, and street performances to the city centre throughout the summer months.
- Spraoi International Street Arts Festival, Waterford City (31 July – 2 August): Ireland’s premier street arts festival featuring international performers, theatre, music, parades, circus acts, and large-scale spectacles that transform the historic streets.
- All Together Now Festival, Curraghmore House (30 July – 2 August): A popular boutique music and arts festival set in the grounds of the historic Curraghmore Estate with live music, cultural experiences, and a relaxed festival atmosphere.
- West Waterford Festival of Food, Dungarvan area (early June dates): A celebration of local produce with food events, tastings, chef demonstrations, markets, and culinary experiences across West Waterford.
Other recurring or smaller events include traditional music sessions, local agricultural shows, heritage walks, and community activities during National Heritage Week in mid-August. Dates can vary slightly; check official sources such as Visit Waterford, Waterford Council, or individual festival websites for the latest programmes, tickets, and updates
Annual & recurring festivals
County Waterford, known for its Viking history and the Copper Coast, hosts several major international festivals and renowned food celebrations.
- West Waterford Festival of Food (April): One of Ireland’s largest and most prestigious food festivals, held in Dungarvan, featuring massive outdoor markets, celebrity chef demos, and “bus Bia” food tours.
- Waterford Festival of Architecture (May): A celebration of the city’s unique built heritage: from Viking and Medieval to Georgian: featuring guided tours, talks, and exhibitions.
- Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (May/June): Ireland’s premier summer opera festival, featuring world-class performances, concerts, and recitals in the historic houses and gardens of the Blackwater Valley, including Lismore Castle.
- Lismore Immrama Festival of Travel Writing (June): A unique literary festival in Dervla Murphy’s home town of Lismore, bringing together world-renowned travel writers, adventurers, and broadcasters.
- Dungarvan Agricultural Show (July): A traditional rural showcase featuring livestock competitions, show jumping, and local artisan crafts at the Dungarvan Showgrounds.
- Comeraghs Wild Festival (July): A celebration of the Comeragh Mountains and the surrounding villages, featuring outdoor concerts, mountain treks, and local storytelling.
- WLR Spraoi International Street Arts Festival (August): A massive three-day event that transforms Waterford City with international street theatre, circus performers, live music, and a spectacular illuminated night parade.
- Waterford Walls (August): An international street art festival where world-class muralists transform the city’s gable ends and public spaces into an open-air gallery.
- Vitamin Sea Festival (September): A coastal celebration in Tramore focusing on sea swimming, wellness, local seafood, and the unique lifestyle of the Copper Coast
- Harvest Festival (September): A major food celebration in Waterford City focusing on local producers, featuring the “giant Picnic,” honey shows, and city-wide tasting trails.
- Imagine Arts Festival (October): A multi-disciplinary autumnal arts festival featuring a mix of music, theatre, dance, and visual arts, often incorporating the John Dwyer Trad Weekend.
- Waterford International Film Festival (November): A showcase of independent cinema focusing on short films, documentaries, and screenwriting competitions held in the city.
- Winterval (November/December): Ireland’s largest Christmas festival, turning Waterford City into a winter wonderland with a giant ice rink, festive markets, light shows, and the Winterval Express train..
Festivals
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary– Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Waterford:
Introduction – 1837 – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells –Hotels – Hotels8 – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Musicians – Name – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Saints – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers
