There’s a Christmas golden ticket event happening in Waterford this weekend

Winterval is here.

Well, from this Saturday on it will be. This weekend marks the beginning of Waterford's biggest and best Christmas festival - Winterval.  The festive experience includes everything from a Santa's grotto, to elves running about the place, to street theatre to the Waterford Eye. All the fun kicks off this weekend, but just in case you were around Waterford and thinking of missing it, Santa's elves have put together a bit of a surprise to get you in the Christmas spirit. From 2.30pm on Saturday, November 17, the elves themselves will be roaming the streets of Waterford city giving out Golden Tickets to some lucky boys and girls. These tickets will allow the kids (and their parents) access to some of Winterval's best attractions, so you won't even need to splash out to get in the Christmas spirit. After that, Rose of Tralee 2018 Kirsten Mate Maher will join Santa and the Mayor of Waterford in turning on the Christmas lights at 5pm. Winterval director Tommie Ryan has urged parents to keep an eye on the festival's social media pages for clues to the elves' whereabouts in the lead up to this weekend. He said: “There is great excitement in the air as we prepare for the seventh annual Winterval. "Saturday is set to be a fantastic day, from the Golden Tickets giveaway with Santa’s elves in Waterford city, to the arrival of the man himself, and the International Rose of Tralee and the mayor, for the turning on of the Christmas lights. These events will certainly sprinkle some festive magic on what is sure to be an amazing festival this year in Ireland’s Christmas capital.” You can find out more about Winterval here.