Free festival line-up takes shape with year to go
The Waterboys have been announced as the first of the festival acts confirmed for The Tall Ships Races 2011, taking place next summer in Waterford. The free outdoor festival will be part of a four-day entertainment line-up, which will feature top Irish and international bands; street theatre and entertainment; parades and a new food village offering. Family entertainment will be central to the event, which is expected to attract over 500,000 people to Waterford from June 30–July 3, 2011.
“We are thrilled that Mike Scott and The Waterboys will be headlining one of our three stages as part of the festival line-up,” said Des Whelan, chairman of Waterford’s hosting of The Tall Ships Races 2011, as the ‘One Year to Go’ milestone was marked with street events in Waterford and Dublin.
“Their energy and appeal will draw a huge following and I think that the opportunity to see a band of their calibre, free of charge, will be a great attraction at Ireland’s biggest ever quayside party. There are still great memories in Waterford of a brilliant live performance by The Waterboys in Tramore in December 2001.”
International illusionist, Keith Barry – also due to perform in his native Waterford at the official launch of The Tall Ships Races 2011 – helped kick-start the ‘Year to Go’ celebrations in Dublin at his first-ever underwater photo-call.
Looking ahead to The Tall Ships Races 2011, Keith said: “Next year’s event which starts in Waterford is going to be unmissable. I’m really looking forward to performing to the crowds with some great effects that I’ll be working on over the next 12 months, to perfect them in time for The Tall Ships Races in Waterford.
“It’s a real honour to have been invited to be part of The Tall Ships Races festival line-up and I’ll be staying on in the city to enjoy some of the great acts that will be lined up for the four days. The sight of dozens of Tall Ships sailing out of Waterford will really be spectacular and I hope that everyone will support and enjoy the free festival and join us for what will be the ultimate event of 2011.”
The full festival line-up will be announced over the coming months and highlights will include a street parade featuring up to 2,000 Tall Ships’ crew members; outdoor stages with entertainment to suit all tastes; a funfair; dramatic fireworks displays and the amazing sight of over 70 Tall Ships berthed along the quayside in Waterford’s city centre.
With social media playing a key role in the communications campaign for Waterford’s hosting of The Tall Ships Races 2011, a new Facebook page to promote the city’s hosting of the international event was launched today at www.facebook.com/enjoywaterford. This connects with the existing www.waterfordtallshipsrace.ie site which has attracted thousands of visitors since its launch in February with people in more than 50 countries logging on for information about the event.
Outside of Ireland, the most commonly represented countries among visitors to
the website so far have been the United Kingdom; USA; Sweden; Canada; Netherlands; Spain; Germany; Australia and France.
When they leave Waterford after the Parade of Sail on July 3, 2011, the tall ships will race around Ireland’s south, west and north coasts to Greenock, Scotland. Later, there will be a cruise-in-company from Greenock to Lerwick in the Shetland Isles. The second race in the series will then go from Lerwick to Stavanger, Norway from where the third and final race will bring the fleet to Halmstad, Sweden.
