Welcome to Waterford, the regional capital on the up, on the tourist map, and the place to be for 2,000 savvy first year SETU students this September
Browse our list of the top nine reasons we know that Waterford city is a wonderful place to live in, work in, and for prospective students seeking a wide range of course options - a place that has a reasonable cost of living as well as the opportunity for a good study-life balance.
1 Waterford Walls
Student days are a rite of passage that are supposed to have a bit of an edge to them. Thanks to the Waterford Walls international street art festival every August Waterford undergoes a paint job with a difference – fabulous, beautiful and quirky street art. Watch the artists in action from 17-26 August 2018 and enjoy the surroundings for the rest of the year.
2 Entertainment
Every student town and city has a vibrant nightlife to meet the needs of a student population and Waterford is no different from student nights organised by local businesses. What’s different about Waterford is that it has put a triangular mirrored canopy over an area at the heart of the entertainment area known as the Apple Market. This landmark is an architectural feast for the eyes and makes for interesting selfie opportunities.
3 Winterval wows
Christmas brings out the big kid in all of us, and Winterval, a Christmas festival turns Waterford into Ireland’s Christmas capital. The festival brings light and cheer into the dark weeks in the run up to the longest day of the year. From light shows to Christmas markets and even a ‘big wheel’ dubbed the ‘Waterford Eye’ in 2017 Winterval gives everyone a reason to get out and about on dark evenings and cold afternoons.
4 Waterford Greenway
The launch, in 2017, of the Waterford Greenway stretching for 46km from Waterford city to Dungarvan in the west of the county put County Waterford firmly on the map. Don’t worry, you don’t have to traverse all 46km, there are access points every few kilometres, with car parking and bike hire available in many places. It’s not just for weekends, once the evenings get brighter, it’s great for a cycle or saunter after college, with one of the access points (complete with bike hire) at the WIT Arena on WIT’s West Campus.
www.visitwaterfordgreenway.com
5 Copper Coast
Who needs 2,500km of the Wild Atlantic Way when you can cover the Copper Coast in an afternoon? Stretching from near Tramore to Stradbally, the Copper Coast is a roller coast road trip which swoops along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s an Instagrammer’s paradise with rugged coves and breath-taking jagged seascapes to capture at many of the viewing points and beaches along the way. Scenery aside you can also take in the geological and historical importance of the coastline which is a UNESCO Global Geopark and where copper mines were once located. There's also plenty of other beaches to enjoy year-round.
6 Viking Triangle
The tens of millions of euro invested in the Viking Triangle has worked out well for tourists and city residents alike. The area alongside and behind the iconic Reginald’s Tower has many tourist attractions in close proximity as well as beautifully paved pedestrian areas which are ideal for everything from Winterval’s Christmas market to festivals and summer music sessions. There’s even the 23m wooden Viking sword in the heart of the Viking Triangle.
www.waterfordvikingtriangle.com
7 WCQ Cultural Quarter
Our Department of Architecture students are among those playing a part in the transformation of O’Connell Street in Waterford’s city centre into a thriving and buzzing cultural quarter – dubbed WCQ – which will complement the Viking Triangle and entertainment hubs in the city. WCQ is under way, so keep your eyes peeled as the area continually develops
www.waterfordcouncil.ie/projects/waterford-cultural-quarter
A Cultural Quarter for #Waterford is deep in planning and will certainly be a fantastic offering for the city centre. Read about the plans in our first issue of 'Network'. https://t.co/DOITRUmWDA
— Waterford Chamber (@waterfordcc) January 10, 2018
8 Festival fever
It seems we have festival fever in Waterford. Hot for 2018 is music festival All Together Now in one of our stately homes, Curraghmore House, Portlaw. Also new for 2018 is The Viking Festival (Easter weekend). There’s arts festivals such as Spraoi and Imagine, as well as music to cater for all tastes with Daytripper and Dunmore East’s Bluegrass Festival. If you like your food, you’ll love both the Harvest Festival and the West Waterford Festival of Food.
www.visitwaterford.com/whats-on
9 Retail fix
Over coming years Waterford’ retail offering will get somewhat of a facelift. There's excitement about two areas in particular – a city centre retail development at Michael Street and Waterford’s North Quays at Ferrybank. The latter, on the north shore of the River Suir, has been zoned for strategic development and is one to watch. Plans include hundreds of millions of euro in investment, with a proposed pedestrian bridge linking the two quaysides.