At Broad Street · Broad Street, Waterford, Co. Waterford
Only the published dates are confirmed for this programme.
Waterford’s Winterval festival officially opens with its Light Up Ceremony on Broad Street on Friday 13 November 2026. Entertainment on the street begins at 5:30pm, building toward the Christmas lights being switched on at 6pm, the moment that marks the start of the festival’s run through the city each year. No tickets are needed. The best viewing spots are around Broad Street itself and John Roberts Square nearby, close to the Winterval carousel, where crowds gather ahead of the switch-on. Winterval is Waterford’s city-wide Christmas festival, running on weekends from 13 November to 23 December 2026 and taking in markets, ice skating, a fairground, concerts and dozens of smaller events across the city centre, and the Light Up Ceremony is the fixed starting point for all of it, the evening the city centre visibly turns from its everyday self into its Christmas programme. Waterford City and County Council runs Winterval alongside a range of local partners, and the festival has grown into one of the country’s largest Christmas events, drawing visitors into the city centre on weekends right through to just before Christmas. The Light Up Ceremony itself has become a fixture in its own right, with families making a point of coming into town specifically for the switch-on rather than treating it as a preamble to the rest of the festival’s weekends.
A free, family-friendly evening on Broad Street with entertainment from 5:30pm building up to the official switch-on of the city’s Christmas lights at 6pm. Expect a busy street with a festive atmosphere, live entertainment before the switch-on, and a crowd gathered around Broad Street and John Roberts Square for the countdown itself.
Broad Street is in Waterford city centre, one of the main pedestrian shopping streets, within walking distance of the quays and the Apple Market. Public car parks are a short walk away, though arriving early is worth it as the surrounding streets get busy ahead of the switch-on.
Heading to Broad Street in Waterford? Waterford has plenty more to see. Read the Waterford area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
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