Here in Derry, we’ve perfected our spell for the most magical, memorable, must-visit Halloween festival on the planet.
But what are the secret ingredients that make us the Home of Halloween?
- The epic events calendar
Think Halloween is just one night of dressing up and trick-or-treating? Think again! Here in Derry, it’s a four-day, four-night extravaganza, the biggest Halloween festival in Europe, and beyond. As soon as one Halloween draws to a close, we’re planning next year’s spectacular events and preparing to welcome more than 120,000 revellers to our beautiful city.
The programme, from 28th – 31st October, has something for everyone; from stage shows, night puppets, potion-making and dance workshops for little ones, to immersive haunted theatre, paranormal tours and brilliant music gigs for bigger thrill-seekers.
And then, of course, there are the major stars of the show: our Awakening the Walled City Trail (an exciting adventure within our historic walls for the three nights before 31st October), the carnival parade (when an entire city comes out to play in fancy dress), and the famous Derry Halloween fireworks (who doesn’t love a dramatic finale?).
- The history
We’ve been hosting our famous Halloween festival in Derry for almost 40 years, since a wee fancy dress party in a pub snowballed into Europe’s largest Halloween carnival. But our origin story goes back much further than that; millennia, in fact, to the ancient Irish festival of Samhain.
This was the time of year when harvest ended and winter began, and Celts believed the veil separating living and dead, and this world and the otherworld, was at its thinnest. Rituals were staged and gatherings held to honour the dead and ward off spirits. Some of these traditions are still in place in Ireland today. You can experience them for yourself, hear old Samhain stories, and meet all sorts of mystical Celtic creatures, at Derry Halloween.
- The craic
There’s one special ingredient that makes our Halloween festival impossible to replicate anywhere else in the world: the Derry craic! Here in our city, we love to have fun. Never more so than during Derry Halloween, when people of all ages come together to dress up, dance, laugh and enjoy the sights and frights.
Our friendliness and warm welcome are often remarked on by visitors to our city from other parts of the country, and around the world.
Unfortunately, the Derry craic can’t be bottled – so you’ll just have to come here and experience it for yourself!
- The community spirit
Derry Halloween started with humble beginnings, as a grassroots event. And while things have got bigger and better every year, and it has become a truly world-class festival, it’s never lost that authenticity and community spirit.
You’ll feel it, and see it, everywhere you go during Derry Halloween; from the amateur dance, drama and circus groups appearing alongside professional international performers, to the carnival parade where a huge cast of local people weave their way through the city in colourful, handcrafted costumes.
- The costumes
Speaking of costumes… have you ever seen a whole city take to the streets in fancy dress? It’s quite an amazing sight to behold!
At Derry Halloween, dressing up isn’t compulsory. But – most people do get into the spirit. Some will plan their costume months in advance. Others will stick on a pair of vampire teeth as they rush out the door. Pretty much anything goes.
We’ve seen every kind of costume over the years – outfits that look like they’ve taken a degree in engineering to create, topical ones inspired by news stories or the latest viral trends, right through to little witches with black bin bags for dresses and a kitchen brush for a broom (a classic – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!).
What will YOU go as this Derry Halloween?
- The food and drink
Here in Derry, we have loads of fantastic local LegenDerry food and drink outlets who love conjuring up great Halloween menus for different tastes and budgets.
Refuel at the street food stalls in the Heart of Samhain, in and around the Guildhall Square. Treat yourself to some award-winning cuisine while dance mobs perform in the Craft Village. Sample locally-produced beers or themed cocktails in Ebrington Square as you watch costumed revellers go by.
Or get stuck into some traditional Samhain baking and make your own ‘Báirín Breac’ fruitbread. Delicious!
- The location
Derry is a vibrant city, where 400-year-old city walls stand alongside contemporary architecture and a rich artistic and cultural scene. It’s compact, charming, and full of fascinating sights to discover before, during or after your Halloween visit – from the Tower Museum, and John Hume’s Nobel Peace Prize housed in the Guildhall, to the Derry Girls mural and St Columb’s Cathedral.
These landmarks even get a Derry Halloween transformation – the Derry Walls are awash with ghouls, banshees and fantastical beings for the three nights before October 31. Keep an eye out too for giant illuminated creatures outside St Columb’s, and activities for your Little Horrors in the Guildhall.
Derry is also an ideal base for further exploring the area. Located in the North West of Ireland, where the Wild Atlantic Way meets the Causeway Coastal Route, we’re a short drive from the wild and untamed beauty of Donegal’s beaches, and close to the breathtaking North Coast, with its award-winning golf courses and Game of Thrones filming locations.
So, there you have it… All the ingredients that make Derry the headquarters of Halloween.
The only thing left to add is YOU! Meet you this October, in the Home of Halloween.
