WATERFORD IS TO be named the “European City of Christmas” at an awards ceremony next month.

The southeastern city has been chosen for being “an extraordinary jewel of Christmas harmony and aesthetics”. It hosts an annual festival, Winterval, at this time of year.

The jury was chaired by Danuta Hübner, a Polish Member of the European Parliament.

The judging panel said in a statement that it was impressed with Waterford City and County Council’s submission, noting the city’s “strong commitment to its heritage as a hallmark of identity”.

The panel also said that Waterford “represents values such as solidarity, which lies with the local communities”.

The organisation Christmas Cities Network is the promoter of the award, which is supported by the European Parliament.

All cities and towns of the 27 Member States of the European Union, as well as Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom can enter the competition.

There are two categories: One for cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants and another for cities with less than 100,000 inhabitants.

Waterford City has come out on top in the latter category.

Carousel at Winterval 2017 Alamy Alamy

The President of Christmas Cities Network, Alberto Gutiérrez Alberca, congratulated the city for “the high level of the projects presented, their proposals and the commitment of these cities to the European values of Christmas.”

The awards ceremony will be held in Madrid on 3 January. 

In recent years, Waterford has run Winterval, Ireland’s largest Christmas festival, which has attracted an average of 500,000 visitors annually.

Mayor of Waterford City and County, Councillor Joe Conway said the city has “a track record to be proud of”. 

“Its success stems from several factors which include local authority funding and commitment, strong stakeholder engagement and a festival team that has a flair for bringing the most festive, wonder-filled and engaging events to the streets of Waterford.”