Spraoi Festival triggers three-day bus diversions across Waterford from 31 July

Bus Éireann and Transport for Ireland (TFI) have issued an extensive service-disruption notice for Waterford City ahead of the annual Spraoi street-arts festival, which runs from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2026. The alert, posted on TFI’s live Service Updates portal early Friday morning, details reroutes and stop closures affecting eight city and regional lines (W1–W5, 40, 354 and 360) as well as numerous Expressway services. From 19:00 on 31 July until 23:59 on 2 August, buses will be diverted away from the city’s quays and central thoroughfares, including the Clock Tower, Merchants Quay, Parnell Street and Ballybricken. The festival parade and nightly fireworks require complete pedestrianisation of key streets, forcing vehicles onto alternative corridors such as the Outer Ring Road and Johnstown. Additional changes will occur on 2 August from 20:00 to 23:59, when final-night performances prompt rolling closures around Johnstown and the Quays. TFI warns passengers to expect longer journey times and to board at temporary stops sign-posted by on-street marshals. Real-time information displays in the city centre will carry diversion maps, and Bus Éireann customer agents will be on hand at Waterford Bus Station to assist visitors unfamiliar with the network. The Spraoi weekend is traditionally one of Waterford’s busiest tourist periods, drawing more than 200,000 spectators and delivering an estimated €6 million boost to local hospitality. By publishing detailed mobility plans five days earlier than in previous years, organisers hope to mitigate congestion and avoid the gridlock that marred the 2025 edition. Corporate travel managers with staff transiting Waterford during the August bank-holiday break should distribute the diversion notice internally and consider taxi or rail alternatives where tight schedules are unavoidable. Normal bus services are due to resume before the Monday morning commute on 3 August.