Winterval 2020

Samsgirl

Has anyone heard if Winterval is going ahead this year? I know a scalled back version was planned but what with the level 5 restrictions in place until Dec 1st, just wondering if it's happening at all?

PTH2009

Samsgirl wrote: »

Has anyone heard if Winterval is going ahead this year? I know a scalled back version was planned but what with the level 5 restrictions in place until Dec 1st, just wondering if it's happening at all?

http://winterval.ie/events/

website up and says there exploring possibilities

A few weeks ago they announced that The ice rink along with the market and lighting show can not take place due too crowd restrictions

Such a downer that this year will be a shadow of it's former self

Flow Motion

Sadly I don't see how this now integral part of a Waterford Christmas will proceed with Covid still at large. Without the markets, light show, ice rink, the little train and horse pulled carriages they would not have much else to offer that would adhere with the social distancing guidelines.

I passed through town yesterday. A beautifully bright November day. Most of the shops were shut. Not much footfall. Difficult to see it improving much as we enter December or in the run up to Christmas. A large proportion will do their shopping online IMO. Similarly most folks will start the food shopping a bit early too.Hard to imagine the usual spectacle of packed shops, car parks and street. However I did notice the City Council putting up the lights & decs a bit earlier than normal.

No matter what happens from here till Christmas this festive period will be much changed and probably a bit alien to what we are all used to all our lives. Perhaps a bit more resonant with the initial or real meaning of Christmas? Undoubtedly its the only time of year where you get to meet up with ppl you havent seen in a year but probably wont bump into this year! Guess its always been a huge thing for kids and hopefully they can be spared the ghost of Covid Christmas present. The Taoiseach is hoping we may have "a meaningful Christmas" but whatever that means is anyone's guess! Even if the numbers continue to fall Ireland will only revert back to Level 3 (probably). So that means outside dining and drinking (if they get the green light). Suppose we will will have to wait and see what Santa & Scrooge Dr Tony decides? :rolleyes:

BBM77

PTH2009 wrote: »

http://winterval.ie/events/

website up and says there exploring possibilities

A few weeks ago they announced that The ice rink along with the market and lighting show can not take place due too crowd restrictions

Such a downer that this year will be a shadow of it's former self

How could it be any other way? The powers that be have decided to stick their head in the sand and lock society away. Unless there is some change in this ”strategy” there is every likelihood we will have the same restrictions next Christmas. All that is being achieved now is hardship and misery is being heaped on people on top of a pandemic.

Flow Motion

BBM77 wrote: »

How could it be any other way? The powers that be have decided to stick their head in the sand and lock society away. Unless there is some change in this ”strategy” there is every likelihood we will have the same restrictions next Christmas. All that is being achieved now is hardship and misery is being heaped on people on top of a pandemic.

Exactly. Wonder what number Lockdown we will be @ this time next year?? From Waterford's perspective this year there has been no St Paddys Day Parade/Celebrations, no Spraoi, no Harvest Festival, very little sport, no pubs apart from a couple of weeks, no All Together Now, no theatre, no gigs, no comedy etc etc.... all this despite doing pretty well against the pandemic.

How many small businesses will close permanently over the next year? How many of the closed pubs will never re-open? How many people will develop mental health issues? How many marriages will break up?

Wanderer78

Flow Motion wrote: »

Exactly. Wonder what number Lockdown we will be @ this time next year?? From Waterford's perspective this year there has been no St Paddys Day Parade/Celebrations, no Spraoi, no Harvest Festival, very little sport, no pubs apart from a couple of weeks, no All Together Now, no theatre, no gigs, no comedy etc etc.... all this despite doing pretty well against the pandemic.

How many small businesses will close permanently over the next year? How many of the closed pubs will never re-open? How many people will develop mental health issues? How many marriages will break up?

...well we could try herd immunity, and see what happens!

Samsgirl

The giant post box appeared today!! Not in its usual place but good to see it

Wanderer2010

BBM77 wrote: »

How could it be any other way? The powers that be have decided to stick their head in the sand and lock society away. Unless there is some change in this ”strategy” there is every likelihood we will have the same restrictions next Christmas. All that is being achieved now is hardship and misery is being heaped on people on top of a pandemic.

But whats the alternative? Allow pubs, shops and restaurants and concerts to open up, let the virus run rampant in our community and kill more people and send even more of then to an already unfit for purpose health system and overwhelm ICUs throughout the country? It absolutely sucks to be living like this but do you have another suggestion? Until we get a vaccine which is efficacious and widely administered, then this is pretty much our reality.

Max Powers

Samsgirl wrote: »

The giant post box appeared today!! Not in its usual place but good to see it

Where?

Thanks

BBM77

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

But whats the alternative? Allow pubs, shops and restaurants and concerts to open up, let the virus run rampant in our community and kill more people and send even more of then to an already unfit for purpose health system and overwhelm ICUs throughout the country? It absolutely sucks to be living like this but do you have another suggestion? Until we get a vaccine which is efficacious and widely administered, then this is pretty much our reality.

The alternative is to live with the virus. Get on with life with some sensible restrictions. Just because I disagree with lockdowns does not mean I don’t care and want to kill people. You know I have an interest in this after all, I could die to. You kind of answered your own question there in the last line, this whole strategy is based on a vaccination being produced quickly. When are we going to get an effective vaccine? The fact is the quickest a vaccine has been developed is three years, people have had COVID-19 and have gotten it again which suggests that immunity is not possible or is short lived. People have been working on vaccines for viruses similar to COVID-19 for decades and failed. Even if you have a perfect vaccine today. You have to manufacture at least six billion doses and then vaccinate six billion people, the amount of the global population needed to get herd immunity. Which will take years.

So maybe a better and frankly a less selfish strategy would be to live with the virus. Have restrictions on high risk things like mass gatherings. I ask you why was fines for house parties not introduced in March? Where is the money going to come from for repeated lockdowns? There is already noises being made about extending level 5 to the new year! You do release there are massive consequences from these lockdowns? For example, the number of people dying of cancers is going to increase because of cancelled screening programs. Suicide and mental health problems are increasing because of the lockdowns. I don’t understand this attitude we have to be protected from COVID-19 but you can suffered the many consequence of the “cure”.

To me it is just absurd locking society away on what in reality may well be just a pipe dream. After all lockdowns are a failure to control the virus, WHO’s words not mine.

Wanderer78

BBM77 wrote: »

The alternative is to live with the virus. Get on with life with some sensible restrictions. Just because I disagree with lockdowns does not mean I don’t care and want to kill people. You know I have an interest in this after all, I could die to. You kind of answered your own question there in the last line, this whole strategy is based on a vaccination being produced quickly. When are we going to get an effective vaccine? The fact is the quickest a vaccine has been developed is three years, people have had COVID-19 and have gotten it again which suggests that immunity is not possible or is short lived. People been working on vaccines for viruses similar to COVID-19 for decades and failed. Even if you have a perfect vaccine today. You have to manufacture at least six billion doses and then vaccinate six billion people, the amount of the global population needed to get herd immunity. Which will take years.

So maybe a better and frankly a less selfish strategy would be to live with the virus. Have restrictions on high risk things like mass gatherings. I ask you why was fines for house parties not introduced in March? Where is the money going to come from for repeated lockdowns? There is already noises being made about extending level 5 to the new year! You do release there are massive consequences from these lockdowns? For example, the number of people dying of cancers is going to increase because of cancelled screening programs. Suicide and mental health problems are increasing because of the lockdowns. I don’t understand this attitude we have to be protected from COVID-19 but you can suffered the many consequence of the “cure”.

To me it is just absurd lock society away on what in reality may well be just a pipe dream. After all lockdowns are a failure to control the virus, WHO’s words not mine.

we are living with this virus, but we have decided, particularly over the last few years, lets defund our health systems by disturbing policies such as austerity, and ignore fore warnings of such pandemics, so here we are.....

central banks such as the ecb, can never run out of money....

Flow Motion

Looks like some of the things I thought would not appear @ Winterval this year are gonna go ahead; like the ferris wheel, the train and helicopter flights with Santy! How it will all work out is another thing entirely but fair play to the organisers in trying to keep things going and not being consumed or mothballed by the ghost of Christmas present : Scrooge Covid;)

http://winterval.ie/news/news-detail/santa-gives-scrooge-the-boot-waterford-winterval-returns-for-2020

BBM77

Wanderer78 wrote: »

we are living with this virus, but we have decided, particularly over the last few years, lets defund our health systems by disturbing policies such as austerity, and ignore fore warnings of such pandemics, so here we are.....

central banks such as the ecb, can never run out of money....

Make sure you ignore all that facts of the situation I wrote whatever you do.

Locking society down is not living with the virus. But you agree, there is a better way out there to deal with this. The problem is not really the virus in Ireland it is the health service and other things. So the way out of this is to go after the problems not lockdowns. This is kind of my point. Why be in favour of lockdowns when they are clearly not the solution?

Samsgirl

Max Powers wrote: »

Where?

Thanks

Looks to be at the end of Patrick St.

Smell the glove

Lads will yee f off with the lockdown rubbish debate on a thread about winterval ffs.

PTH2009

Flow Motion wrote: »

Looks like some of the things I thought would not appear @ Winterval this year are gonna go ahead; like the ferris wheel, the train and helicopter flights with Santy! How it will all work out is another thing entirely but fair play to the organisers in trying to keep things going and not being consumed or mothballed by the ghost of Christmas present : Scrooge Covid;)

http://winterval.ie/news/news-detail/santa-gives-scrooge-the-boot-waterford-winterval-returns-for-2020

That was posted before the restrictions became strong again. Let's hope whatever does take place is still good

Although the prices were expensive i sure loved walking through the market down in Cathedral square on a cold evening. Making me so sad watching past Winterval videos on Youtube

Max Powers

Samsgirl wrote: »

Looks to be at the end of Patrick St.

Thanks

PTH2009

Nice to see people around town and the lights turned on

decies

First time in and around town . Really miss the cabins to be honest . Went walking up to cathedral square , complete darkness . While the wheel on quay looks great , badly need lights on bridge and the quay itself . Love those big outdoor hot dogs though .

friendlyfun

Why is the Victorian Carousel not in John Robert's square? Think it's a real shame without that there.

PTH2009

Great effort by the organisers with the current circumstances. Sadly just not the same buzz as other years but very understanding

smellyoldboot

Was in around yesterday evening. It looks pretty if a little surreal all lit up and it being so quiet. That said it's a nice effort under difficult circumstances, decorating empty shop windows was a great idea and the as yet unopened fairground rides seem to be geared towards the younger kids which is great.

PTH2009

amazed to see some of the market stalls been up