The Waterford Harvest Festival brought the Viking Triangle, Ballybricken and the city centre to life in a blaze of food glory as thousands of visitors attended the three-day festival, which showcased the very best of Irish produce.
Whilst the opening afternoon (Friday) of the Waterford Harvest Festival was hampered by the inclement weather, by Day Two the sun was shining, and temperatures and festival spirits were high.
The streets surrounding the Viking Triangle, Ballybricken Green and the Millennium Plaza were awash with food producers, stallholders, demonstrations, growers, craftspeople, farm animals, talkshops, community gardens and giant inflatable dragons!
Whilst it is difficult to pinpoint one particular highlight of the festival, Festival Director, Tommie Ryan was delighted with the festival and the reaction to the events.
“It would be true to say Friday was disappointing as the rain showed no sign of abating, however, Saturday and Sunday were both fantastic festival days. The sun shone on the thousands of visitors who came along to enjoy the eclectic festival programme.”
“The Festival Market proved, as usual, a great draw, as people grazed their way through the Mall. The EnterpRISING Food Village and SuperValu Food Academy were very popular, with customers meeting the producers and getting an insight into their food journeys.”
“The events in Ballybricken were a big hit with families as Farm to Fork, Junior HQ and the Ballybricken Fair were not just entertaining, but informative, interactive and fun as well.”
“We had some great Waterford “firsts”, with the launch of the “Blaager” on Friday evening and the World Blaa Eating Championships. The restaurant events, such as the EAT Waterford Taste Experiences, Iyer’s Pop up at La Boheme, the Tapas River Cruise and Flahavan’s Harvest Brunch were sold-out and the reaction to the high calibre of Waterford’s restaurants’ creativity and imagination was amazing.”
“The evening events went down a treat, with the festival spirit lasting into the evening at the Viking Rocks Craft Beer Festival, Whiskey tasting demo at Revolution and Gin Tasting at Davy Macs. The Thin Gin Music stage on the Mall added a great carnival atmosphere to the festival throughout the weekend.”
Tommie added, “The Waterford Harvest Festival is a wonderful platform, keeping Waterford on the national food map. The dedication and commitment of the team can’t be stressed enough. The Festival is a success simply because of the people behind it…the sponsors, the volunteers, local businesses, the event management and Waterford City and County Council. Without these and, of course, the brilliant support of the general public, we wouldn’t have the festival that we now have and one that we can all be very proud of!”