Street parade to be delayed to accommodate hurling fans

WATERFORD’S Spraoi parade will go ahead as planned next Sunday, albeit a bit later than originally scheduled.

The street theatre parade, one of the highlights of the four-day Spraoi festival, runs the same evening as the All-Ireland hurling semi-final between Cork and Waterford at Croke Park.

The organisers have now gone back to the drawing board and have moved the start time of the parade from 8pm to 10pm to accommodate the thousands of Waterford fans who will travel to Dublin to watch the match.

Spraoi programme director Miriam Dunne said they are confident that match-goers will be back in time for the parade. “Following two days of consultations with gardaí and Waterford City Council, the Spraoi parade will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday evening, August 6, but at the slightly later time of 10pm,” she said.

“We plan to put on the best parade possible but we may need more people to push floats and to act as marshals along the route. Additional volunteers can contact Jennifer at the Spraoi headquarters on 051-841808.”

She added that the gardaí did not consider the parade would be a major disruption to returning match traffic and wish it to proceed as planned. Many fans are expected to travel by train in any case and would arrive into the city on the opposite side of Rice Bridge, within a minute of the city centre.

There have been some minor last minute alterations to the Sunday afternoon programme. Entertainment at the Plaza will begin at 4.30pm rather than 2.30pm. The New Band Stage in Gladstone St will begin at 4pm instead of 2pm and gigs at the Applemarket will finish at 4pm.

Co-director TV Honan says while the programme is expanded each year, this year’s festival features more for revellers of all ages.

A special highlight will be the Irish premiere of The Drummers of Burundi, one of the greatest percussion ensembles in the world.

“Another definite highlight will be a show which will run in the windows of Sherwoods, the electrical shop,” he said.

“The Royal Drummers will also be a huge draw. By any standard, they are a world-class act.”

lFull details of Spraoi are available on the website at www.Spraoi.com