Waterford Celebrates Sustainable Harvest

The annual Harvest Festival in Waterford is back for the 14th year and announcing details of the festival programme with a focus on food sustainability and a celebration of the Irish Apple to the fore for 2023. The festival takes place in the streets and squares of Waterford city centre from September 8th to 10th. 

The festival is funded by Waterford City & County Council and organised by GIY who are bringing sustainability to the heart of the festivities with “Food Matters” food sustainability talks by some of the country’s most esteemed food writers, chefs, activists, journalists and business people.

In addition, the festival will be run on HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) with a bio-digester onsite, a complete plastics ban, and all traders using compostable materials, refill water stations plus a wash up station for reusables. Plus there will be opportunities for everyone to get stuck into some GIY as over 2000 free plants and 1000’s of free seeds will be given away to food growing enthusiasts during the festival weekend.

For the food fans, Waterford’s rich food heritage will be key, celebrating the city’s diverse restaurants, eateries and producers. The best of Waterford’s food and drink will be centre stage at the giant Harvest Festival Market which will traverse across Waterford’s squares and interconnecting streets. With a focus on sustainability, the Festival Market includes plenty of top quality local food producers, offering an array of unique traders with plenty of fresh offerings and familiar faces. 

On the “Taste Waterford” Kitchen Stage sponsored by Waterford’s Local Enterprise Office, there will be a host of Waterford’s very own food producers and chefs who will be sharing their recipes and food tips.

In the Junior GIYer’s zone which will take over O’Connell Street, families will enjoy the Wooly Farm where children can learn more about our furry and feathered friends. Artist Aga Krym will create a new living art installation with Slí Waterford based on the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger. In addition, Cool Food School and GIY will be hosting workshops on seed sowing, growing and cooking food, and Monty Potts will be on hand to help out. There will also be art workshops and Fun Drums, while at Waterford City Library there will be story-telling, colouring sessions and more.