Winterval 2024: Launching Waterford as a European City of Christmas

Waterford | Festival Production | Creative Design | Live Show | Major Public Event

The Brief

Winterval is one of Waterford’s flagship festivals, transforming the city into a major Christmas destination each year.

For Winterval 2024, Big Bear Design was both a production partner and part of the creative design team behind the festival.

The launch required something that went beyond simply opening another year’s programme.

Waterford was being launched as a European City of Christmas, and the opening needed to reflect the significance of that moment.

The ambition was to create something the city had never experienced before.

The Challenge

The setting was spectacular: Bishop’s Palace on The Mall in Waterford.

But creating a major live show in a city-centre heritage environment presents very different challenges to working inside a traditional venue.

Production, performance, lighting, sound, audience management, infrastructure and the movement of a parade all had to come together around one of Waterford’s most recognisable buildings.

Most importantly, it had to feel worthy of the occasion.

The Big Bear Solution

Big Bear helped create a launch built around spectacle, place and celebration.

A specially produced parade brought the city to life before arriving at The Mall, where the iconic Bishop’s Palace became the backdrop to the main launch show.

Rather than placing the celebration inside a conventional venue, the city itself became the stage.

The production combined the parade, performers, creative installations, lighting, sound and live event production to create a shared moment in the heart of Waterford.

Behind the spectacle, Big Bear worked across the production and design of Winterval, helping turn creative concepts into practical, safe and deliverable experiences throughout the festival.

The Result

The launch marked Waterford’s recognition as a European City of Christmas with an event unlike anything previously staged in this way in the city.

For audiences, it was a show.

Behind the scenes, it was the result of detailed creative design, technical production, event management and collaboration between multiple stakeholders.

And that’s where Big Bear works best:

Taking an ambitious idea and working out how to make it happen.

Have an Ambitious Idea ?

It doesn’t have to exist yet.

Big Bear works with clients from the earliest creative conversation through design, production and final delivery.

Tell us what you want people to experience. We’ll work out how to create it.