10th Birthday Celebrations for Towers and Tales Children’s Book Festival at the free Festival Hub!

Prepare for a spellbinding day in Waterford’s Blackwater Valley with Towers and Tales Children’s Book Festival.

Once again, the beloved Festival Hub takes over the grounds of Lismore Castle on Saturday, May 4. With a feast of fun and creative events and workshops in honour of the festival’s tenth birthday celebrations, the Festival Hub is at the heart of the adventure.

Step into a world of wonder at Lismore Castle for a magical day of book-loving fun.

Several FREE events and workshops take place throughout the day.

The Lismore Castle Arts team will be on hand at the Inspiration Station, a world of creativity where children can unleash their imagination on an arts and crafts adventure. Festival artists will be at the Woodshed Wall all day, inviting everyone to draw inspiration from new picturebooks and contribute to the giant doodle wall.

Festival-goers can also enjoy SongTales sa Spéir by Ceol Connected, an exciting performance combining storytelling and music on a specially converted mobile stage.

Elisa Gallo Rosso will host two showings of her show 51 Removals, captivating audiences in the castle courtyard with her playful and interactive street show.

Waterford Libraries host their Book Swap in the castle courtyard and will be on hand to help visitors sign up for free library membership. Eason, one of Ireland’s oldest and largest retailers, will host an on-site book shop in the Stable Yard where visitors can buy a book from their favourite festival author or illustrator and have it signed on the day.

At the ChildVision Camp, children can learn a new way of experiencing the world by taking part in fun games using Braille and enjoying sensory stories that are sure to ignite their imaginations.

All the Festival Hub favourites are there too with the Children’s Books Ireland Book Clinic; The Glucksman Gallery tent; Knock for a Story; Dungeon Doodle; Sketch and Stroll; Stories, Songs and Silliness and lots, lots more.

And why not grab a bite at the Foodie Stable Yard where a feast awaits to suit all tastes!

FREE Festival Eve Lantern Parade and Lantern-making Workshops

Now in its second year, the Festival Eve Lantern Parade will light up Millennium Park and Lismore Castle Gardens with a promenade of over 100 lanterns made by local families.

Launching the festival on May 3, Solas na Bealtaine is an interdisciplinary, multi-partner collaborative arts project culminating in light and AV spectacle throughout the gardens and on the walls of the castle.

With the legacy of Street Art in Waterford City as inspiration, this parade and accompanying workshops are part of a new creative model of Street Art for West Waterford where each year, with new themes, participants and audiences, our aim is to grow the parade in, and with, the community.

This project is funded by Waterford City & Council Creative Ireland programme and the Arts Council of Ireland, championing creativity in every community.

The 2024 project leans into the folklore of Bealtaine customs to serve as inspiration for new literature, as Gaeilge, created by the students of Scoil Náisiúnta Baile Mhic Airt.

These stories were supported by writing workshops hosted by our Artist in Residence, picturebook writer Sadhbh Devlin.

Literature created through this whole-school project (66 pupils) will be recorded as audio by the students to generate a soundscape for the Lantern Parade finale.

Text from each story will be transcribed through animation by creative technology Digital, Visual & Sound Artist Joey Maguire, to generate a digital arts installation for the Carlisle Tower at Lismore Castle.

Four artist-led community lantern-making workshops with maker Caoimhe Dunn will allow for 100 willow lanterns to be made for the procession.

Each lantern will be decorated with stories from the school workshops.

Our procession begins in Lismore’s Millennium Park and travels to the front lawn of Lismore Castle through the maze of gardens, guided by community volunteers, Lismore Men’s Shed and accompanied by an ensemble of carnival drummers.

Registration for FREE Lantern Making workshops opens Wednesday 17 April and registration to attend the Lantern Parade opens on Wednesday 24 April.

Spaces are limited so put your name in quickly.

Featured festival artists include:

● Sheena Dempsey

● Sadhbh Devlin

● Brian Fitzgerald

● Steven Lenton

● Eve McDonnell

● Alex T. Smith

● Louie Stowell

Entry to this magical, creative and fun festival at Lismore Castle is FREE and takes place from 10am on Saturday, May 4.

Ticketed events and those requiring online registration can be found at www.towersandtalesfestival.ie

Towers and Tales Festival is supported by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Waterford City & County Council Festival & Events and Creative Ireland Open Call, Lismore Castle, Lismore Castle Arts, Children’s Books Ireland, The Vault Café, The Glucksman Gallery, Lismore Heritage Centre, and Waterford Libraries.

For media inquiries and further information, please contact Pax Ó Faoláin at production.towersandtales@gmail.com. For updates and ticket sales, visit

http://www.towersandtalesfestival.ie/