Today’s category to be featured as part of the 2019 Waterford Business Awards is Tourism Activity/Attraction of the Year, sponsored by Morgan McKinley.

The winner, chosen by an independent panel of judges, will be announced at a gala ceremony in The Tower Hotel Waterford on Friday, 8th March.

BLACKWATER VALLEY OPERA FESTIVAL

The Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Ireland’s only summer opera festival, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with its centerpiece, the annual opera at Lismore Castle, with an exciting schedule of additional musical events throughout the week (May 28th – June 3rd). Don Pasquale is this year’s featured Opera.

Playing host to daytime recitals and night time concerts are the Great Houses, Churches and unique locations of the glorious Blackwater Valley. Patrons can also enjoy an outstanding array of dining and hospitality choices, provided by local businesses and prepared by local chefs, making the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival an experience like no other.

LISMORE CASTLE GARDENS & GALLERY

Two distinct gardens are set within the walls of Lismore Castle and comprise of seven acres with spectacular views of the Castle and surrounding countryside. The lower garden was mostly created in the 19th century for the 6th Duke of Devonshire, Sir Joseph Paxton’s patron. The walled upper garden was first constructed by Richard Boyle, the 1st Earl of Cork in about 1605, where most of the walls and terraces remain the same although the plantings continue to evolve, ensuring there is always something new or different to enjoy.

Lismore Castle Arts, a not-for-profit initiative, is a key contemporary visual arts venue in Ireland, founded in 2005. We are committed to the presentation of contemporary art, at two separate exhibition venues, offering unique experiences with contemporary art.

SPRAOI

Spraoi International Street Arts Festival attracts large audiences with consequent positive impacts for local business, particularly in the tourism and hospitality sectors. The compact streets and squares of Ireland’s oldest city provide perfect performance settings for audiences and artists during the festival. With a backdrop of medieval walls and historic buildings Spraoi offers visitors atmospheric settings to encounter and experience contemporary performance culture from around the world. Spraoi leverages its brand- recognition to raise Waterford’s profile nationally and internationally as a positive location in which to live, work and visit.