ONE of Ireland's best Christmas festivals is set to open in just three days - with free events, Santa and a circus.
Winterval in Waterford opens in just three days and promises a great time for families in the run-up to the festive season.
Taking to TikTok, Winterval shared a short video showing people what they can expect.
In the caption of the post, they wrote: "3 more sleeps.
"Don’t forget to check Winterval.ie for full event listings and tickets.
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"Parade starts at 5.15 THIS Friday - get there early!"
At the beginning of the video, a graphic says: "Three more sleeps".
The video then shows an aerial shot of the event, with a carousel and a Christmas tree can be seen.
The next clip shows a Ferris wheel and it looks like an amazing Christmas event.
Winterval is Ireland's largest Christmas festival and returns this year for its 11th year.
This year the festival will boast its biggest and most festive programme.
Waterford is set to be transformed into a magical wonderland from Friday, November 17 until Saturday, December 23.
There will be magical experiences, festive family attractions, seasonal surprises and an abundance of free and ticketed events for all ages.
The event is run by Waterford City and County Council, with the return of original attractions including Santa's return to Waterford, Winterval on Ice, the Port of Waterford Eye, The Helter Skelter and The Carousel.
Newer events are also available including the Winterval Circus, Glow and the Lego Exhibition.
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There are also magical reimaginations of festival favourites including a multi-dimensional light show, European-style Winterval food and craft markets.
There will also be a programme of live music and performances, along with a display of festive decorations.
There will be over 40 events at the festival, beginning with a Christmas Parade through the city on a 1km route from its Quayside to the top of John Robert's Square at 5 pm on November 17.
The parade will see the arrival of Santa Claus who will travel to the festival's main stage for switching on the City's Christmas lights, marking the beginning of the festivities.
Twenty of the 40 events will be free of charge, while the proceeds from the ticketed events will be donated to charity organisations Tintean Housing Association and The Red Cross.
There will be a Jingle Bells Christmas Cycle, a Christmas Tractor Parade, a Blue Light Showcase with all emergency services, a Suircon Comic Conference, BuskAid and the Irish Doctor's Choir presentation of Samson.
Family favourite Home Alone will also be screened with a live score by the National Symphony Orchestra, The Armed Man at St John's Church and the Lions Club Christmas Concert at the Cathedral.
The free events include a talking postbox where kids can post their Santa letters.
There will be a special elf post-collection show at the weekends.
There will be a GLOW Garden and a brand new sensory wall at New Street Gardens.
Winterval light show will light up the sky with an array of animations on offer every half an hour.
A brand new Viking Elf trail hunt is on offer with access to a Viking Yule Village by Deise Medieval where Waterford's heritage takes prime position.
There will also be storytelling sessions, a free music stage, a model circus and fairground exhibition and lots more.
Acords the city there will be an ice rink on the city's Quayside, a vintage Ferris wheel at Arundel Square, a vintage carousel in John Robert’s Square, the Port of Waterford Eye and the Winterval mini Express train, the Elf workshops, Polish Christmas, a Gerbola Christmas Circus, Santa’s VR sleigh ride, helter-skelter, helicopter trips with Santa, festive river cruises aboard the Barrow Princess and more.
A new addition titled the ‘Adventure of Narnia’ show will be hosted at a mini Big Top at Jenkin’s Lane.
The performance will include aerial displays and fire breathing as the story of Narnia is told.
There will be a Christmas Market on offer with a range of wooden chalets from George's Street to Hanover Street and onto Gladstone Street.
The market will connect with Waterford Crafts at Garter Lane Gallery, all-encompassing a variety of over 100 food, drinks crafts and gift producers and creators and the Waterford Cultural Quarter Market featuring crafts from the city’s vibrant arts community.
There will be a live choral stage every weekend in Waterford’s cultural quarter with a mix of choirs from all over the country.
A Winterval by Night programme offers a mix of live music gigs at The Reg, a Winter Music Series at Waterford Crystal along with a series of choral and concert events at SETU, Christchurch Cathedral and more.
Speaking at the programme launch, co-directors Trevor Darmody and John Grubb said: “Winterval 2023 is set to light up Waterford with Ireland’s Christmas Festival.
"We have the largest programme on offer to date and we have placed a huge focus on free and low-cost events, there are 20 free events and activities and a large number of low-cost activities with a proportion of these linked to charity organisations too.
"Winterval is the biggest celebration of the festive season in Ireland and we are very proud to unveil a programme that is comparable with some of Europe’s biggest festive celebrations.
"The festival is filled with delights at each turn in Waterford, from music to great food, crafts and things to do for all the family - it is just bursting with festive cheer.”
Full details of the 2023 Winterval Festival programme can be viewed and reservations can be made at www.winterval.ie.
