Blackwater Valley Opera Festival

Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (BVOF) is Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival, presented annually in the Blackwater Valley, County Waterford.

Having marked its fifteenth anniversary in 2025, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival has grown from a one-off opera event in 2010 into one of Waterford’s flagship cultural festivals, attracting thousands of visitors each year. The festival presents opera and classical music alongside curated dining experiences in historic settings, including Lismore Castle and the semi-restored Dromore Yard.

In 2026, the festival runs from 26 May to 1 June, featuring a programme of opera, concerts, recitals, and free events across historic venues in Lismore, Youghal, Dungarvan, and Castlemartyr. The opera programme is led by Mozart’s Don Giovanni, staged at Lismore Castle, alongside Handel’s Acis and Galatea, presented in St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore.

Blackwater Valley Opera Festival brings together large-scale opera, chamber music, and curated dining experiences in some of Ireland’s most distinctive historic settings.

The 2026 programme appeals to both seasoned opera-goers and those attending for the first time. Full event details and ticket information are available at blackwatervalleyopera.ie.