Waterford's annual Harvest Festival returns this year for its 14th year and has released details of its festival program, focusing on food sustainability and the 2023 Irish Apple Celebration

The festival takes place September 8-10 in the historic streets and plazas of downtown Waterford.

Funded by Waterford City and County Council and organized by GIY, who brought sustainability to the heart of the celebrations through the Food Matters Food Sustainability Talks, attended by some of the country's most respected food writers, chefs, activists, journalists, and business people, the festival was a great opportunity to learn more about the food industry, and to learn about the importance of food sustainability in Ireland. will be an educational, engaging and entertaining debate every day.


In addition, the festival will be run on HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil), with on-site bio-digesters, a total ban on plastics, compostable materials for all traders, water refilling stations and reusable washing stations.

Additionally, there is an opportunity for everyone to participate in GIY as more than 2,000 free plants and more than 1,000 free seeds will be given away to food-growing enthusiasts during the festival weekend.

The Taste of Watford Kitchen Stage, sponsored by the Watford Local Enterprise Office, will feature many of Watford's own food producers and chefs who will be sharing their best recipes and food tips.

The stage will be located in the courtyard of the Garter Lane Theatre and visitors will be able to meet chefs and food producers from across Watford, with cooking demonstrations offered daily.

In the Junior GIYer area, which will take over O'Connell Street, families will enjoy Wooly Farm, where children can learn more about our furry and feathered friends.

Artist Aga Krym will work with Slí Waterford to create a new living art installation based on the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger. In addition, Cool Food School and GIY will host workshops on seed sowing, planting and cooking food, with Monty Potts on hand to help, as well as art workshops, fun drumming activities, storytelling at the Waterford City Library, coloring classes and more.

Special events will also be offered, including a restaurant trail, not one but two live music stages curated by Trevor Darmody of WAMA, and Waterford will also be the site of the World Honey Championships, where visitors will be able to meet the best honey producers and learn all about the entire process They'll have the opportunity to meet with the producers and vote on the best-tasting honey at the festival.

Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated 3,000 years ago by the ancient Irish as a time to celebrate the harvest and welcome winter.

The tradition of trick-or-treating originated with the poor begging for food, also known as "soul cakes," and the tradition of pumpkin carving began in the 18th century, when Celts hollowed out turnips and lit them next to windows to ward off spirits wandering on Halloween night. When Irish immigrants came to North America, they found that turnips were not common and used pumpkins as a substitute to continue the Halloween tradition.

During the festival of Savin, demons and faeries would come to the mortal world. As a result, the Celts would wear masks and light bonfires to protect themselves, which is how today's Halloween costumes came to be.


As the birthplace of Halloween, the island of Ireland can be described as a festive atmosphere pulling out all the stops, creating a national carnival atmosphere of either horror or surprise. There will be ghosts, parades, haunted adventure lines and grand fireworks displays that will definitely raise the decibels and make everyone shriek.


In keeping with ancient Celtic tradition, the Irish Halloween menu at the event will include apples, candy, barmbrack cake, and mashed potatoes and cabbage (Colcannon). This is a staple dish of mashed potatoes mixed with chopped kale or cabbage and onions, and is one of Ireland's most iconic folk foods.


Nowadays, Halloween has become a global carnival celebration filled with pumpkin lights, candy and cosplay for all. During the holiday, people of all ages, races, and cultures, play dress-up to realize "Trick or treating is not sinful, long live happiness".