Waterford Festival of Food keeps Wlrfm energy high across the Déise
Thousands of people have turned out across Waterford for the wlrfm moment now unfolding around the Waterford Festival of Food, as the county-wide event heads through a busy weekend of activity. Dungarvan is once again the centre of the action, with streets, quays and public spaces packed with visitors, while events are also taking place in Waterford City and beyond. Organisers expect another busy day ahead before the festival closes on Sunday, with the wlrfm buzz spreading across the Déise.
Conditions have been ideal for the celebration, which is showcasing Waterford’s food, producers and hospitality at full strength. From Davitt’s Quay to Grattan Square, the town is seeing a constant flow of people moving between artisan stalls, street food, live events and cookery demonstrations. The pace has been steady and the atmosphere lively, with the festival drawing crowds into the heart of the county’s food scene.
Dungarvan remains the main hub
Dungarvan remains the focal point, and the scale of activity there is clear. Markets, demonstrations and entertainment are running throughout the town, with visitors able to move from one event to the next across the day. The mix of outdoor spaces and public gathering points has helped keep the festival visible and active from early through late.
Beyond the town centre, the festival footprint is wider than ever. Events are also taking place in Waterford City, where cultural venues and food spaces are hosting talks, tastings and demonstrations. Coastal locations, farms and local restaurants across the county are also part of the programme, creating a network of food experiences that reaches well past West Waterford.
Wlrfm and the wider county programme
The wlrfm coverage of the festival points to a clear pattern this weekend: the event is no longer just a Dungarvan gathering, but a county-wide celebration with multiple entry points for visitors. Many of the events are free and open to the public, and the programme ranges from large outdoor markets to smaller, more intimate sessions. That variety is helping the festival reach families, casual visitors and food-focused crowds alike.
The structure of the programme also keeps the emphasis on the people behind the food. Across the weekend, the festival is highlighting the link between Waterford’s produce, its landscape and the local businesses that give the event its character. The result is a lively, spread-out celebration rather than a single-location event, with the wlrfm story still building as the weekend continues.
What visitors are seeing now
Visitors are moving between artisan stalls, street food, live entertainment and demonstrations, with the town centre remaining busy throughout the day. Elsewhere in the county, tastings, talks and dining experiences are giving the festival a broader reach and adding to the sense that the celebration is active in more than one part of Waterford at once.
With strong crowds and a lively mood reported across the county, the final stretch of the festival is set to remain busy through Sunday. The next developments will be simple but important: how many more people come through the gates, how the county-wide schedule holds up through the weekend, and how the closing day shapes the final wlrfm chapter of this year’s Waterford Festival of Food.
