City could reap €2.5m from Harvest Festival

THE Waterford Harvest Festival, which starts tomorrow and runs for nine days, could contribute as much as €2.5 million to the local economy, according to a survey of last year’s festival.

Hot air balloon rides and music from some of Ireland’s best bands will keep festival-goers entertained while they sample a wide range of culinary experiences.

The Stunning, The Saw Doctors and O Emperor will play at the “Big Street Barbecue Gig” at Bolton Street.

Festival manager Deirdre Molloy said: “The festival programme is very broad this year and includes four artisan food tours, a celebration of local food heroes, a massive music concert and of course Ireland’s biggest food market, Amazing Grazing, which takes over the city’s South Quays on Sunday.

“We conducted research at last year’s festival and, based on that, we know this festival contributes an economic boost of over €2.5m to the local economy, offering a huge boost to local retailers and food producers.”

The festival will also feature a Local Food Heroes market on Sunday from 12pm at Anthenaeum House Hotel, and the first of four slow-food tours, on which foodies can visit a prize-winning dairy farm at milking time and a sixth-generation miller at Flahavan’s Porridge.

Also included is a Grow It Yourself gathering and Street Feast, where over 700 people will sit down to a locally produced home-grown meal, urban potting, forages and food tours.

Other events include “singles restaurant trail”, workshops on French Catalonia food and cookery lessons from celeb chefs.

A family day will be held on September 10 at the People’s Park in the city.

*Tickets for the event, priced at €25, are available at waterfordharvestfestival.ie or from the Theatre Royal, Waterford. Family tickets are available. Children under 12 attend free but must be pre-registered online.