Every October, more than 120,000 festival-goers flock to Derry to celebrate Samhain in the Home of Halloween.
This epic, four-day extravaganza started out four decades ago as a fancy dress party in a pub, but to discover the full Derry Halloween story, you’ll have to delve a lot deeper into the past: 2000 years ago, to our ancient Celtic ancestors.
Samhain traditions
The festival of Samhain marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, when it was believed that the boundary between this world and the other was at its most fragile, and spirits could break through into the realm of the living.
To honour the dead and protect themselves from evil spirits, candles and bonfires were lit, feasts held, and rituals performed.
Masks and disguises were worn to keep away bad spirits, or blend in with them; food and drink was left out to keep the fairy folk happy; and hollow turnips were carved into faces, lit with candles, and placed on windowsills.
When Irish people emigrated to America, we brought Samhain traditions with us. In time, these evolved into the Halloween activities we now see around the world, like apple-bobbing, pumpkin-carving, fancy dress and trick-or-treating.
Some authentic Samhain rituals are still performed at Halloween in Ireland to this day – from sharing spooky ‘yarns’ (stories), to hiding lucky coins or rings in a loaf of freshly made ‘BáirÃn Breac’ fruit bread, which you can try baking for yourself, at Derry Halloween!
A party in a pub
For the next chapter of the Derry Halloween story, let’s fast forward to 1985.
This was the height of the Troubles conflict. A dark and difficult time for Derry, and all of Northern Ireland.
Despite this, our resilient city was still determined to find moments of joy and colour, and opportunities to celebrate.
It was against this backdrop that Brian Doherty, a local pub owner, decided to host a Halloween fancy dress party in Doherty’s Bar on Magazine Street, nestled just inside the famous Derry Walls.
To Brian’s surprise, the pub soon started to fill up with people in fancy dress. By 9pm, the place was packed (we love a good party in Derry).
Unfortunately, a security alert that night meant the pub had to be evacuated. The costumed partygoers spilled out onto nearby Shipquay Street, and the craic continued, in what’s sometimes referred to as the city’s first Halloween parade (we told you we love a party!).
A seed was planted, and Derry Halloween was born.
Carnival time
After the success of the Doherty’s Bar party, people began flocking into town every October 31. With our city’s rich shirt factory heritage, many had the skills to make their own weird and wonderful costumes.
Our council soon got involved too, organising a small Halloween carnival, and later, a parade through the city centre.
To this day, the parade is a highlight of the Derry Halloween calendar. And while it’s flourished in scale and ambition, it remains a community-focused event, organised for the past 20 years by The North West Carnival Initiative.
Last year, more than 700 local performers took part in an amazing Carnival of the Dead – from young dance troupes, sports clubs and drama students in handmade costumes, to huge floats featuring giant creatures from Samhain folklore, designed and built by grassroots groups.
Crowds of local people and visitors cheer on the sprawling parade as it snakes its way through the city. The pride and passion is palpable, and the atmosphere is electric.
A city ablaze with colour
In the 1990s, a fireworks finale was introduced to the Derry Halloween calendar. It remains the jewel in the crown of the whole festival.
As soon as the parade finishes, people flock towards the banks of the nearby River Foyle for the stunning display.
The firework thrills have got bigger and better over the years, as the night sky lights up with all kinds of pyrotechnic tricks and treats. Think shimmering showers and huge showstoppers in all the colours of the rainbow.
In 2023, the City of Bones became a City of Drones, with Derry Halloween’s first ever aerial drone display featuring pumpkins, witches and ghosts floating overhead.
A four-day spectacular
When Derry Halloween began in the 1980s, it was a one-night-only event. Since then, it has snowballed into a four-day, four-night festival; the largest Halloween event in Europe.
In recent years, the excitement levels have ramped up even more with the introduction of Awakening the Walled City spectacular, held for three nights leading up to Halloween.
This event embraces our Samhain roots, as hordes of spirits – some spooky, some mischievous, ALL captivating – break through the thinning veil and wreak havoc within our famous 400-year-old city walls.
The whole city centre is taken over by fantastic street performers, large-scale illuminations on landmark buildings, disco-dancing skeletons and spooky nuns.
Local businesses and restaurants love getting involved in the fun too – from Halloween-themed menus and afternoon teas, to imaginative displays – even a ghostly bride and groom, waltzing in a wedding shop window.
As seen on TV
Derry Halloween doesn’t just bring revellers from all around the world – it attracts international media coverage too.
We welcome film crews, TV documentary makers, journalists, photographers, influencers and travel bloggers from across the globe. We’ve even been named number one Halloween destination in the world, by USA Today.
But one of our favourite TV moments was when the hit sitcom Derry Girls dedicated an entire episode to Derry Halloween. Erin and the gang dressed up as angels as they tried to sneak their way into a Fatboy Slim concert, in scenes filmed in and the Derry Walls and St Columb’s Hall. A ‘wile proud’ moment, as we say in Derry.
Want to be part of the Derry Halloween story? Join us this October, for the next chapter!
