Local festivals have been granted almost €1.3 million in funding for 2021.
70 festivals and events across Waterford are set to benefit from the money after what has been a tough year for the industry.
Winterval is by far the biggest recipient of funding with a budget of €429,000, followed by an allocation of €111,850 for festive lighting and €84,000 for Captial of Culture/Music Generation and €70,000 for Spraoi.
Some festivals have received a boost to their funding, such as Waterford Walls which is set to receive €35,000. However, others such as Harvest festival have seen theirs cut.
Harvest Festival
Fianna Fáil councillor Eddie Mulligan said he was 'dissatisfied' that the Harvest Festival saw a reduction of €35,000 of council funding on the previous year.
He said the festival had been 'asset stripped' and was a major success for the city centre when it last went ahead in September 2019:
"I've never had so many businesses recount to me that they all saw a bit out of the festival from hospitality to service to retail."
Green Party councillor Jody Power says there should be a way of judging where money is best spent.
Meanwhile, Economic Development officer with Waterford Council Lisa Grant said they're hopeful most of the festivals will be able to go ahead in 2021.
"In terms of the festivals we have lined up a lot of them wouldn't be happening in the first quarter so we would hope in terms of restrictions that there will be a greater opportunity for each of our festivals next year."
New festivals
Lisa says some of the festivals will be new, such as the Dungarvan year-round animation, and 'The campervan of sound' which is set to transport music across the county.
The full list totalling €1,287,300 is listed below. Waterford City and County say the aim is to promote local festivals that have an economic, tourism, cultural/artistic or community benefit for Waterford.
Name of Festival |
2021 Allocation |
1848 Tricolour Celebration |
€4,500 |
A Slice of Culture |
€600 |
Arts Festival Online Support |
€5,000 |
Bealtaine Living Earth Festival |
€1,500 |
Blackwater Valley Opera Festival |
€7,000 |
Campervan of Sound Music & Arts Festival |
€1,000 |
Camphire International Horse Trials and Country Fair |
€5,000 |
Capital of Culture/Music Generation |
€84,000 |
Celebration of International Women's Day |
€1,500 |
Comeragh Christmas Craft Fair |
€1,200 |
Comeraghs Wild Festival |
€28,000 |
Copper Coast Festival 2021 |
€500 |
Copper Coast Trad Fest 2021 |
€2,000 |
Creative Ireland |
€15,000 |
Daonscoil na Mumhan |
€1,500 |
Deise Medieval Greenway2021 |
€2,500 |
Dungarvan Aglow |
€20,000 |
DUNMORE EAST BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 2021 |
€10,000 |
Dunmore East Festival of Food, Fish and Fun |
€5,000 |
Dunmore East Walking Weekend |
€500 |
Festive Lighting |
€111,850 |
Festive Support briefing |
€5,000 |
Fun for Life 2021 |
€500 |
Giggle of the Galaxy |
€2,000 |
Harvest Festival |
€65,000 |
Imagine Arts Festival |
€20,000 |
International Women's Day Festival 2021 |
€1,500 |
John Dwyer Trad Festival 2021 |
€3,000 |
Knockanore Fete |
€1,000 |
Lismore Towers and Tales |
€5,000 |
ModPoets Fest 21 |
€1,400 |
Nire Valley Drop MTB Challenge |
€1,750 |
O'Connell Street Festival |
€9,000 |
Pride of the Déise |
€2,050 |
Ravens Rock Rally |
€3,000 |
Robert Boyle Summer School |
€2,000 |
Seasonal Animation in Dungarvan |
€10,000 |
Southeast Science Festival |
€5,000 |
Spraoi International Street Arts Festival |
€70,000 |
Sprog |
€2,000 |
St Patricks Day Parade, Waterford City |
€45,000 |
St. Patrick's Day Dungarvan |
€5,000 |
St. Patricks Day Portlaw |
€1,000 |
Summer in the City 2021 |
€59,000 |
Summer on The Mall |
€15,000 |
Tallow Tostal Festival |
€500 |
The Barony Of Gaultier Rose Festival. |
€550 |
THE BOOLEY HOUSE |
€1,000 |
The Carbally Art By The Sea Festival. |
€1,000 |
THE CELTIC BOX CUP |
€10,000 |
The Good Old Days Festival. |
€1,000 |
The LIT Young Writers Festival |
€1,800 |
Tionól Nicolás Tóibín |
€2,000 |
Tramore Christmas Festival |
€5,000 |
Tramore St Patricks Day Parade |
€5,000 |
Tramore Street Party |
€4,000 |
TUNEFEST |
€5,000 |
Viking River Festival |
€3,000 |
Vitamin Sea Festival |
€15,000 |
Waterford Film Festival |
€500 |
Waterford Health and Wellbeing Family Fest |
€3,000 |
Waterford PPN Community & Voluntary Awards |
€5,600 |
Waterford Viking Marathon |
€22,000 |
WATERFORD WALLS FESTIVAL |
€35,000 |
Waterford Writers Weekend |
€34,000 |
Well Festival of Arts & Wellbeing |
€4,000 |
West Waterford Festival of Food |
€50,000 |
Winterval |
€429,000 |
Wyse Park Arts Spectacle scheme |
€6,000 |
Yogafest |
€1,000 |
€1,287,300 |