They take Hallowe’en seriously in Derry and this annual carnival is billed as Europe’s biggest and best Hallowe’en festival and it certainly works hard to earn the title, with lots of fantastic events for every age.
It seems as though the entire population of the city turns out in wild costumes and with upwards of 40,000 festival goers, the streets, dark alleys and the famous Derry Walls, all crowded with wailing witches, vicious vampires and ghastly ghosts.
Guildhall Square is the focus for many of the events, and for kids there is face painting and balloon modelling in the square during the earlier hours.
Attractions include the Hall of Horror and a Family Funday with fortune telling, scary story telling, dance performance, face painting, arts and crafts, games, apple bobbing, gunge dipping and much more!
Halloween night itself is the highlight of the weekend, starting with a huge parade where performers in costume dance along to Samba and marching bands. with silvery large-scale props and lots of carnival characters.
Date and details for 2024 subject to confirmation.
It is all very family focused and lots of fun, and the residents of the city join in with gusto, as the video below shows.
