The SLOWTOUR Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) project aims to revitalise cities through slow tourism by celebrating local heritage, promoting sustainable visitor experiences, and supporting urban regeneration. Central to the project is a strong commitment to citizen co-creation, ensuring that local communities actively shape the tourism experiences developed in their cities.
Bringing together partners from across Europe, SLOWTOUR will test innovative slow tourism approaches in six pilot cities, creating a robust and transferable model that can be replicated in industrial heritage destinations throughout the region.
As one of the six pilot actions, Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) is leading the development of a new slow tourism food festival in an urban area of Limerick City with a strong cultural identity and significant untapped tourism potential. Three editions of the festival will be delivered over the lifetime of the project.
To ensure the festival reflects the character, creativity and ambitions of the Limerick community, Limerick City and County Council invited residents, students, artists, community organisations, local businesses, food producers, tourism and hospitality representatives, and anyone interested in the future of the city to contribute ideas and help shape the festival from the outset.
Citizens were encouraged to participate through an extensive programme of public and stakeholder engagement, including:
· An internal Limerick City and County Council workshop held on 10 March 2026;
· Three public pop-up consultations, held 1-3 May, 30 May and 6 June;
· Your Voice, Your Festival. Help Shape Limerick’s New SLOWTOUR Food Festival – online consultation inviting public to submit their ideas on programme, timing, venues, authenticity and festival design.
· An online Food Community Consultation Survey, inviting the local stakeholders to share ideas on festival programming, food experiences, venues and visitor activities;
· Twilight Thursday Consultation – public engagement activity to gather feedback from evening visitors and capture ideas for the SLOWTOUR Food Festival.
· An online Festival Name and Logo Consultation, to help shape the festival's identity and visual brand; and
· An industry stakeholder workshop, held on 23 June 2026, bringing together representatives from the tourism, hospitality, food, creative and community sectors.
To encourage participation while supporting the local economy, all survey participants were entered into a draw to win a €50 Limerick Gift Card.
The consultation programme generated an excellent response from both the public and stakeholders. A total of 25 Limerick City and County Council staff participated in the internal workshop, 31 representatives from the tourism, hospitality and food sectors attended the Industry Stakeholder Workshop, and 311 residents and visitors engaged through the three pop-up consultations. In addition, 44 people completed the Festival Programme Design Survey, 31 responses were received through the Food Community Consultation Survey and 30 people submitted their ideas for the festival name and logo. A further 349 participants contributed through the Twilight Thursday’s consultation, providing valuable insights into evening food event preferences and visitor experiences.
Internal Limerick City and County Council Workshop - 10 March 2026:
Pop-up Consultations in Limerick streets:
MyPoint Online Consultations:
Stakeholder Workshop - 23 June 2026:
The results demonstrate that European projects can successfully connect with citizens at the local level when engagement is meaningful, accessible, and directly linked to the future of their communities. The insights gathered will play a key role in shaping a place-based food festival that reflects local identity and aspirations, while also providing valuable lessons on citizen participation for other SLOWTOUR partners and pilot cities across Europe.
We are all looking forward to this First Edition of the Food Festival which will take place in Limerick on 12-13 of September 2026.