Former Chief Executive of Waterford Chamber of Commerce, Nick Donnelly, has been announced as Chair of Winterval, Ireland’s Favourite Christmas Festival.
The quintessential yuletide festival will return for its sixth season from November 17th to December 23rd. It is intended that this year’s event will take on board more Waterford City stakeholders with the committee including voluntary representatives from Waterford’s corporate and business sectors and Waterford City and County Council.
Now in its sixth year, Winterval has garnered a reputation as one of the leading Christmas festivals in the country. The new Festival Chair, along with Festival Director Lisa Grant, are determined to build on that status.
According to Nick Donnelly there are changes planned for the festival and that starts with a new committee made up of local stakeholders. “The previous Winterval committee created a Christmas festival that the city can be proud of. This year we will build on that festival model and, in particular, on the events that worked well in the past along with making some exciting changes to the programme.”
“We will also continue to focus on local engagement and that is why we have enlisted voluntary committee members from Waterford’s business community, including representatives from Waterford Chamber of Commerce, Purple Flag Waterford and Waterford Business Group.”
“Working closely with local stakeholders is vital to ensure we are all invested in Winterval and share the same vision for this enchanting event.”
“Delivering a festival of this scale over six weekends with almost thirty events is a considerable task. However, with the backing of Waterford City and County Council, invaluable input from Waterford businesses, generous funding from corporate sponsors and the support of the public, we are confident that Winterval 2017 will be a magical experience for everyone.”
Eric O’Brien, CEO of Rapid Cabs and Chair of Waterford’s Purple Flag said, “We are delighted to see that plans for Winterval include more engagement with the hospitality sector. Many would like to see the festival offerings extended into the evening, when Waterford, aglow with Christmas lights and illuminations looks spectacular. Families and children are well catered for throughout the days and early evenings of the festival, while the “young at heart” will be able to enjoy a night-time Winterval experience.”
Details of the festival will be provided at its programme launch in September and while it will retain many of the traditional themes that proved popular in the past it is important to refresh the event with some new faces and new favourites.