A NEW PORTAL will open in Waterford this afternoon, linking the city with the Czech Republic.

The Apple Market will be the home to the dolmen-shaped portal which will connect Waterford to another portal in the city centre of Brno.

The Brno-Waterford Gateway will officially be opened today at 3pm and is part of the city’s Winterval, Ireland’s largest Christmas festival.

The portal will offer a real-time and unfiltered livestream, and Winterval organisers said it will allow “people of different cultures to meet above borders and differences” and “to meet and connect outside of their social circles and cultures”.

Waterford was crowned as this year’s European City of Christmas by the European Parliament’s Christmas City Network, while Brno is also celebrating its award as European Capital of Christmas 2024.

The Christmas Cities Network aims to promote the cultural European diversity values and the different and varied Christmas traditions in Europe.

And while Dublin is home to a portal of its own, the Brno-Waterford Gateway is a distinct operation that has been created to connect the winners of this year’s Christmas Cities Network awards.

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ireland, Pavel Vošalík, will be at Waterford’s Apple Market for the launch of the gateway, which has been sponsored by the Southern Regional Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Winterval festival is open every weekend from now until 23 December.

There are over 50 events planned, and festival directors said they are “very excited to open the gateway to Brno as it will add it to the expansive festival offering”.

Other events include the Winterval Illuminates Lightshow, the ice rink on the city’s Quayside, the vintage Ferris wheel and carousel, the Winterval Mini Express train, and Santa’s VR sleigh ride in Cathedral Square.

Meanwhile, Waterford’s Viking heritage will take centre stage at the festival with a Viking Yule Village hosted by Deise Medieval, on offer every Sunday in Blackfriars Church.

And at the Glenveagh Christmas Market, there are over 100 food, craft and drinks producers and creators with lots of Christmas craft and food stalls from local, regional and national producers. 

There is also a new after-dark programme of events for adults, ‘The Winterval Big Top Live’, which will host artists and performances including Gavin James and Mick Flannery.

Further details on Winterval are available here.