Discover Waterford with our guide to festivals in Waterford not to be missed. From music, to food, to arts, to theatre, there is a lot of fun to be had. Waterford plays host to the following festivals:
Copper Coast Festival
**Postponed until 2021 due to COVID-19, click here for updates**
Info: The Copper Coast Festival celebrates geological, local, cultural, environmental and heritage of the European Geoparks week.
Location: Copper Coast, Co. Waterford
Website: coppercoasttradfest.org
Waterford Festival of Architecture
**Postponed until further notice due to COVID-19, click here for updates**
Info: The Waterford Festival of Architecture (WFA) is a festival which works towards enhancing the understanding and appreciation of architecture among the wider community supporting architects. The theme of this year’s festival is Origins and will encourage the public to engage with the city and catchment area on a more intimate level, with visits to houses, public buildings, lectures, events, tours and walks, all the while exploring different aspects will the theme in the city and county. This year the WFA will also have a new event: Behind Closed Doors. This gives people a chance to visit properties which would not be normally open to the public
Location: Waterford
Website: architecturefoundation.ie/event/waterford-festival-of-architecture/
Summer in the City
**Click here for updates regarding COVID-19**
Info: From June to August, Waterford City will come alive with the best in Live Music, Family Entertainment, Workshops and Street Performance. If you are planning your summer this 2020, this is a festival you definitely have to attend. A fantastic and FREE summer festival. Perfect for a family getaway.
Location: Waterford
Website: facebook.com/SummerInWaterford
Dunmore East Festival of Food, Fish & Fun
**Cancelled due to COVID-19**
Info: An annual festival, Dunmore East Festival of Food, Fish & Fun promises a weekend full of family fun, great food and live entertainment with a large market held in the harbour. Festival to include a farmer’s market, music, family and kids activities, crafts & much more.
Location: Dunmore East, Co. Waterford
Website: facebook.com/Dunmoreeastfoodfestival/
All Together Now
**Cancelled due to COVID-19, tickets valid for 2021 festival**
Info: They return this August Bank Holiday Weekend for the Third Chapter. A weekend of freedom, inspiration and escapism through music, spoken word, comedy, theatre, debate, art, workshops, wellness, and everything in between from feasts of food to bespoke cocktails all within walls of the beautiful Curraghmore Estate is promised.. They have a lot to announce over the coming weeks and months including new stages, installations and collaborations, continued and new sustainability initiatives, which are all at the very core of their ethos.
Location: Curraghmore House, Co. Waterford
Website: alltogethernow.ie
1848 Tricolour Celebration
**Cancelled due to COVID-19. Click here for updates on a rescheduled event**
Info: The 1848 Tricolour Celebration is a cultural and historical event, which commemorates the flying of the Irish National Flag for the first time by Waterford man Thomas Francis Meagher in his native city at the Wolf Tone Confederate Club at 33 The Mall, Waterford on March 7th 1848.
Location: Waterford City
Website: 1848tricolour.com
Camphire International Horse Trials and Country Fair
**Cancelled due to COVID-19**
Info: An international horse trials and festival with top-class equestrian, dressage, show jumping and cross country. Ideal for a family getaway. Lots of activities, food and more!
Location: Cappoquin, Co. Waterford
Website: camphirehorsetrials.com
Waterford Spraoi International Street Arts Festival
**Postponed until September due to COVID-19. Click here for updates**
Info: This is the biggest festival of the year in Waterford, a city that plays host to several excellent events each year. For three days, the city devotes itself to a variety of street art and spectacle, featuring hundreds of performers, live music, and an array of new street theatre – Irish and international.
Location: Waterford City, Co. Waterford
Website: spraoi.com
August Horse Racing Festival
**Event likely to be behind closed doors. Click here for updates**
Info: An exciting 4 days full of top-class thoroughbred racing with some of Ireland’s leading trainers, jockeys and owners in attendance.
Location: Tramore, Co. Waterford
Website: tramoreraces.ie
Waterford Walls
**Event going ahead, click here for information**
Info: An international street art event celebrating their sixth year this August . A fun-filled family-friendly event with a full programme of activities including live music, workshops, guided art trails and expert panel talks. They cater for art lovers of all ages and this year we are launching our new children’s street art programme.
Location: Waterford City
Website: waterfordwalls.ie
Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival
**Cancelled due to COVID-19**
Info: If banjo pickin’, foot tappin’ mandolin’ pluckin’, barnstormin’, step dancin’ fiddle playin’, double bass clawin’ sessions are for you, then the beautiful picturesque coastal village of Dunmore East, Co. Waterford is the only place to be. Fans of bluegrass, Americana, blues, country, rhythm ‘n’ roots can expect the cream of the musical crop as top class acts line up for this year’s 26th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival.
Location: Dunmore East, Co. Waterford
Website: discoverdunmore.com/events/38-dunmore-east-bluegrass-festival
Waterford Harvest Festival
**Postponed until September due to COVID-19, click here for updates**
Info: A weekend of fun foodie activities for all in Waterford, Ireland – markets, barbecues, picnics, feasts, gigs, street parties, cookery demonstrations, taste workshops, craft villages and much much more!
Location: Waterford City, Co. Waterford
Website: waterfordharvestfestival.ie
The Imagine Arts Festivals
**Event to go ahead in October, click here for updates**
Info: A multi-disciplinary celebration of the creative arts that provides exceptional audience experiences for people of all ages and interests. The Imagine Festival is an annual event which celebrates the arts in Waterford. It is now one of Ireland’s premier arts festivals.
Location: Waterford City, Co. Waterford
Website: imagineartsfestival.com
John Dwyer Trad Music Weekend
**Event to go ahead in October, click here for updates**
Info: The Imagine Festival is an annual event which celebrates the arts in Waterford. Taking place in late October every year, it is now one of Ireland’s premier arts festivals. The festival takes place October 16th – 25th in 2020! During Imagine Ireland’s oldest city is the setting for work by the best of local, national and international artists and reflects all aspects of the arts. The festival includes the John Dwyer Traditional Music Weekend and the Waterford Writers Weekend.
Location: Waterford City, Co. Waterford
Website: imagineartsfestival.com
Enchanted Garden Winter Light Festival
**Click here for updates regarding COVID-19**
Info: This is one of the most stunning light displays in Ireland’s South East. The Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens are transformed into a Magical Winter Wonderland which ends with a visit to the Winter Fairy in her glowing dome overlooking the pond.
Location: Tramore, Co. Waterford
Website: lafcadiohearngardens.com
Waterford Winterval – Ireland’s Christmas Festival
**Event to go ahead in November, click here for updates**
Info: Winterval, Ireland’s Christmas Festival, continues to grow from strength to strength. Over 30 different events, many of them free, every weekend. Winterval has a jam-packed schedule of fun for all the family.
Location: Waterford City, Co. Waterford
Website: winterval.ie
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