Wainfest 2019 got off to a great start this weekend with events taking place all over the county.
Children of all ages from the tiny tots to the tweens enjoyed the diverse range of activities on offer from the Harry Potter Experience at Oakfield Park in Raphoe to treats with Mr Hullabaloo Carndonagh Library to making ‘Giants Gold’ Sun Discs with Lisa Fahy in Donegal County Museum to being creative at the ‘Can-do’ Academy – Lego Animation workshop in the Central Library in Letterkenny.
Spectacular scenes from the Donegal Bay and Bluestack Festival’s Coming Home Carnival Parade in Ballyshannon on Saturday night marking the end of the festival and the start of Wainfest 2019. Photograph by Catriona Bonner
“Wainfest is all about inspiring our children and allowing them to step into a world filled with imagination, stories, magic, history and heritage and instilling in them a love of reading,” says Donna Cavanagh from Donegal Library Services.
Wainfest kicked off on Saturday 5th and will run until Sunday the 13th October with a full range of events for all ages from tiny tots to tweens.
There are craft activities, sensory storytelling and theatre performances. Children can hop on the train and connect with Harry Potter or relax and watch a film during one of the many film screenings.
There will be magic with award-winning magician Jessica Harkin, lego animation workshops, circus skills workshops, film screenings, virtual reality in the museum, YouTube workshops, yoga, beautiful theatre productions, sensory events and a range of events for babies and toddlers.
This year’s festival has a range of events for children on the Autism Spectrum, with 20% of the programmed events ASD Friendly and this has been made possible by The Dormant Accounts Fund.
Wainfest 2019 is presented by Donegal County Council’s Library Service with support from partners including Eclipse and Century cinemas, Oakfield Park, Inishowen Maritime Museum and An Grianan Theatre.
