- 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.
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
