Photo corner: Christmas in the Irish oldest city, Waterford

Only this year I realized that I have never really showed you Christmas in Waterford and especially our Winterval festival. So let’s do it!

I will have a few photos here from the past years, but also from this year, when I focused more on details and on new points of view (after all, how many times can one take a photo of the same building to make it interesting every time?). All photos are taken over the last 4 years with my DSLR camera. The first two years I shot with my 18-135mm, last year and this year it is a mix of the aforementioned lens and 50mm.

Winterval is the name of Waterford’s Christmas festival, which has been running for more than ten years from mid-November to 23 December. From the beginning, the festival was quite big, and certain things have changed over the years – for example, at the beginning, we used to have the entire waterfront beautifully lit. The waterfront lights are gone, but instead you’ll find a Ferris wheel, an ice rink and other attractions. The center of the festival has also moved from the Viking triangle to the so-called Cultural Quarter and is thus really in the center of the city.

In addition to the “fair” attractions, the festival also offers Christmas market (it cannot be compared with those in the Czech Republic), a train, taking pictures with Santa, a mini park decorated for Christmas and much more. We usually just walk around the city and then I go to take pictures of the lights. And when it’s not too windy, we go for a ride on the Ferris wheel (which is jokingly called “Port of Waterford Eye” – a port, because it’s sponsored by the Port of Waterford).

This year, Winterval was declared the European Christmas City 2024 (under 100,000 inhabitants, over 100,000 Brno won the title!). The organizers immediately promised a bigger festival next year, so I’m curious what they’ll come up with and if they’ll be a pleasant surprise. And now for the photos!