Waterford has a festival every weekend this Summer
Spraoi Festival 2025. Photo: Joe Evans
This summer, Waterford is making a compelling case for being Ireland’s most exciting festival destination, with seventeen consecutive weekends of music, food and culture taking place.
Chair of Visit Waterford, Clare Barrett, said: “From world-class opera and street performance to coastal wellness festivals, live music, food celebrations and outdoor adventure, something is happening every weekend across the county. Visitors can arrive for one event and quickly discover another festival, another performance, or another experience waiting just down the road.”
The season begins with the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, which is underway now until June 1.
The event will present 24 performances across 13 historic venues, including castles, churches and heritage estates. The 2026 programme includes Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Lismore Castle and Handel’s Acis and Galatea in St Carthage’s Cathedral, alongside concerts, recitals and curated dining experiences.
The festival season continues along the Copper Coast with the Friday Art Club at The Art Hand, running from June 5 to June 26. The informal arts gathering invites visitors to engage with local artists and creativity in one of Ireland’s most scenic UNESCO Geopark locations.
On June 14, GROW HQ in Waterford City hosts its Summer Wellness Day, combining healthy food, movement, sustainability and hands-on learning experiences. Throughout the summer, GROW HQ will also host Garden Pilates sessions on selected Sundays.
One of the season’s most anticipated events takes place from June 19 to June 21, with the Vitamin Sea Festival in Tramore.
The festival blends food, wellness, outdoor adventure, music and local tradition. Visitors can enjoy seaside food pop-ups, restaurant collaborations, sushi-making workshops, foraging demonstrations, sunrise paddleboarding, beach yoga, sauna experiences, historical walking tours and live music throughout the weekend. A highlight remains the traditional “Molly Doll to Sea” ceremony, celebrating Tramore’s connection to the ocean.
From June 26 to June 28, Dunmore East hosts Haven Fest 2026 at The Haven Hotel. The three-day music festival features Irish artists including The Stunning, Gavin James, Mundy, Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones and The Whistlin’ Donkeys.
Throughout June, July and August, Waterford City becomes a live entertainment hub through Summer in the City, a free programme of music and events across the city’s streets and public spaces. Highlights include the popular Churchyard Sessions at The Reg, returning with 17 consecutive Saturdays and six Fridays of free live music performances on Bailey’s New Street.
Lismore takes centre stage from June 11 to June 14, with the Immrama Festival of Travel Writing, an annual celebration of storytelling, literature, music and cultural exchange that attracts acclaimed writers, adventurers and thinkers.
Waterford’s landscapes also feature prominently in the summer calendar through the Comeraghs Wild Festival from July 9 to July 12. Set among the Comeragh Mountains, Copper Coast and Nire Valley, the festival celebrates nature, culture and rural life through guided walks, outdoor adventures, music, storytelling and community events.
Garden lovers can explore events, walks and talks across the Waterford Garden Trail, including Mount Congreve Gardens, Lismore Castle Gardens, Cappoquin House & Gardens, Tourin House & Gardens and Dromana House & Gardens. At the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens in Tramore, the new Kokoro Café opens on June 8.
The August Bank Holiday Weekend sees the return Spraoi, Europe’s largest street theatre festival, bringing performance, music and street art to Waterford City.
The season concludes with Harvest Festival from September 4 to 6, celebrating Waterford’s food culture with markets, chef demonstrations and local produce showcases.
