European City of Christmas: Santa confirmed to visit the Deise for Winterval 2024

The Winterval elves have been hard at work preparing and planning for the magic of the annual Winterval Festival

The festival aims to honour the title of Waterford holding the crown of the European City of Christmas for the first year.

Santa has taken some preliminary measures ahead of Ireland’s Christmas Festival to ensure his elves are carrying out all of his tip-top plans for his return to the 12th century caverns that lie beneath the city’s Medieval Museum in the Viking Triangle.

The space will be transformed for the official grand return of Santa at the 2024 Winterval Festival, which will take place in Waterford for the twelfth year this November 15 to December 23 where he will spread joy and holiday cheer to boys and girls of all ages.

Tickets for Santa Claus are now available to purchase for all the good boys and girls visiting the festival for a chance to see the man himself at his wonderful Winterval grotto.

A band of merry elves will lead each child to a seat in Santa's magical grotto and families can enjoy the photo stops and arts and crafts along the way.

Winterval Grotto offers free tickets for adults and visitors to the main man will each receive a present and printed family photograph.  

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Santa will arrive in Waterford City on November 15 and will host little guests through the festival until December 23.

He will also be joining the Mayor of Waterford to switch on the Christmas lights and kick off the festive season in style.

Waterford has proudly been named the European City of Christmas 2024, and Winterval will be celebrating this prestigious title with an expanded programme filled with new events and cherished favourites.

Festival Directors John Grubb and Trevor Darmody promise a lineup that will "delight attendees and capture the spirit of the season."

While full details of some of the newer events cannot be unveiled just yet what the directors can share is that the festival’s firm favourites will most definitely be on offer with the Winterval ice rink and fairground set for the city’s quayside while the wonderful Winterval Illuminates Lightshow is bound for the city centre.

A first in the new events programme sees a brand new show with tickets on sale already for what is sure to be a sell-out at Garter Lane with the ‘Trash Test Dummies’.

Award-winner Dummies Corp., the Australian leader in comedy, bring their show ‘Trash Test Dummies’ a slapstick children's comedy to Winterval 2024.

Thirty shows are scheduled to run over the course of the festival and will take place for six-week period with the opening show at Garter Lane Friday November 15 and finishing Sunday December 22. 

The show time pattern would be one show on Fridays at 7pm, and two shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm.