A Gigantic and Magical Talking Postbox
There will be a free show at the Apple Market on Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. Sponsored by WAMA & Theatrebox, the show will engage with young spectators who can take part in the collection of Santa’s post. Let the little elves and helpers from the WAMA (Waterford Academy of Music & Arts) and TheatreBox collect your special lists and drive them off to the North Pole. The post box will snow, breath smoke, blare music, have magical sound effects, and it will illuminate the mirrored ceiling of the Apple Market.
All the children at the show will have a chance to help shrink the gazillions of letters that are stored in the post box so that the elves (on specially commissioned quad bikes with Toby Wagon trailers) can drive away with the post on board.
A Shadow Puppet Show Plus the Magic Lights of the GLOW New Street Gardens
Ben Hennessy will present a new Shadow Puppetry Show at the GLOW Gardens at Winterval on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. Shadow play, also known as shadow puppetry, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment, which uses flat cut-out figures that are held between a source of light and a translucent screen. In the beautiful setting of GLOW, Winterval’s fairy light garden in the heart of Waterford City, Ben and his crew will take visitors on a magical journey through a story of childhood imagination. Each show is 20 minutes long and is free of charge.
The Winterval Illuminates Light Show Every Half Hour
This time the creators have really raised the bar and given the famous 3D light and projection show a new home on Ireland’s biggest Christmas decoration, Winterval castle.
This stunning 9m high castle will be at the centre of the festival in Arundel Square. During the daylight hours families can come and take some photos at the tower, but as darkness falls the tower and Arundel Square will come to life with an explosion of light, sound, special effects and the projection show.
Created by local artist John Loftus, this feast for all the senses promises to be an event not to be missed for audiences of all ages, and it’s free!
Winterval on Ice
Waterford’s coolest attraction returns to Winterval on today. Nothing is more festive than whizzing around (or trying not to fall over) on an ice rink. So it’s time to put on your bobble hat, wrap up warm and get your skates on!
With 600 square metres of real ice, there’s a large main rink and a separate smaller rink with skating aids to help younger visitors find their ice legs.
Don’t worry if you miss it this weekend. Winterval On Ice runs from November 25th to January 8th.
The Winterval Mini Express Train
Hop on board the magical Winterval Mini Express, a road train that takes you on a fun-filled journey through the historic streets of Waterford. See the Winterval attractions such as the Helter-skelter and Carousel, The Winterval Christmas Market, The Waterford Eye, Winterval on Ice, and Santa’s Central Station.
The train departs every 15 mins and operates from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Saturday and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays throughout Winterval. Pick up and drop off is at Broad Street.
The Magical City Fairground
Scattered throughout Waterford Winterval is the magical City Fairground, an iconic selection of fairground attractions for the whole family to enjoy, including the Vintage Ferris Wheel at Arundel Square, a Vintage Carousel on Broad Street and the Waterford Eye on the Quay.
The Gerbola Circus at the Winterval Big Top
Throughout Winterval, Ireland’s best rated traditional circus will dazzle audiences with a beautiful vintage Christmas themed show. Step into their heated big top and be mesmerised by their high-flying trapeze troupe, death-dyfing stunt riders, along with a host of acrobats, hilarious clowns and lots more! You’ll find Gerbola’s Christmas Circus at the Winterval Big Top at the top of New Street. To book your tickets, see here.
Winterval’s Main Stage
Don’t miss Broken Theatre on O’Connell Street this weekend. Presenting “Music and Mayhem” you can expect vaudeville-style variety performances throughout each day, with live music and dancing, aerial performances, juggling, hula hooping, magic, flea circus, clowning, unicycle and fire.
