DCSCThousands of people took part in the finale of Londonderry’s annual Halloween festival, with around 600 people paraded through the town.
Hailed by organizers as Europe’s biggest Halloween event, the four-day festival will culminate in a parade and fireworks display on Thursday.
The celebration in Derry has gained global fame since the first official Halloween celebration in 1986 and is now considered one of the world’s leading destinations for Halloween.
Derry City and Strabane District Council said the festival attracted tens of thousands of people to the city.
Councilor Aideen McCarter said the 2024 festival was “bigger and better than ever”.
“We had some really good nights,” he said.
“It brings millions of pounds into the local economy and we see over 100,000 visitors here if not more – these visitors come back every year.”
DCSCThe main Halloween parade leaves Queens Quay Car Park at 19:00 GMT on Saturday along Queens Quay to Strand Road, Harbor Square Roundabout, Foyle Embankment. Water Street, Harbor Square Roundabout, Queens Quay and back to the car park.
Queens Quay and Upper Strand Road are closed to accommodate the parade.
The Peace Bridge is closed and will reopen shortly after 21:00.
A full list of road closures can be found here here.
DCSCAdditional buses and trains for Halloween
Translink is providing some additional bus and train services on Halloween night.
They will run some extra Foyle Metro, Ulsterbus and Goldliner services from Foyle Street Bus Station.
At North West Transport Hub train station, extra capacity has been added to the 21:38 train departure to Belfast Grand Central Station, followed by an additional 22:38 train service to Coleraine Station.
A special coach service will also operate from Belfast Grand Central Station on Halloween at 15:00, making the return journey from Foyle Street Bus Center at 21:00.
A full list of train services for people to and from the parade can be found here here.
The celebrations so far have featured the Awakening the Walled City route in Derry city center from Monday to Wednesday.
Talk to BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme earlier this week, festival organizer Aisling McCallion said there was something on offer for everyone.
“We have programs over four days for people of all ages,” he said.
“We have stories, arts and crafts, shows and lots of live shows.
“Personally, I’m very excited to welcome people back to the wall this year to see a variety of performances.
“There is a queuing and one-way system used for people to see the attractions on the wall in a safe and managed way.”
Ms McCallion said there were plenty of events on offer and people would be able to tour the three designated zones in Derry and also see the various attractions in Strabane this year.
PA MediaHe said that some important events in this year’s program include the witchy wonderland on the City Wall, the projection of the Austins building and the Bishop Street Court House, and Rodafonio – a street theater action created by the famous American designer and musician Cesar Alvarez.
A full list of events offered this year can be found here here.
Business owners are expecting a busy festival
Emily McCorkell will be hoping to hear the sound of the cash register chiming at her Lo & Slo food truck over the screams and fireworks this year.
Emily and her team feed hungry festival-goers with American style BBQ delicacies at the Haunted Harvest Halloween Market in Guildhall Square.
He said he enjoys Halloween and added the festival is a “very busy” time for merchants involved with the Legendary Food Network.
Gary Moran of Umi restaurant in the city center has said it will be “booked” during this week’s Halloween festival.
“We’ve got a lot of orders, there’s a lot of customers, but we have some room to walk around but it’s always very busy,” he said.
“We’ve got people coming in here to try it, which is great to see and then by word of mouth, hopefully we can get additional orders from that.”
Opening hours are longer
Mohamed Ali of Maiden Heaven Coffee and Ice Cream Parlor has said he is delighted with the amount of footfall in the town center over the week.
“It’s been busy all day and then it’s really busy in the evening,” he said.
“We had to increase our hours, we definitely had to increase and we worked longer hours during Halloween.
“Usually it’s open until six but now it’s open until around ten in the evening.”
Many hotels are fully booked
Selina Horshi, managing director of the White Horse Hotel in Campsie said she and many other hotels were booked up for Halloween.
“Halloween is one of our busiest times of the year and while many guests are from the island of Ireland, we ask travelers from all over the world to make a special stay to enjoy the sights and sounds of Derry Halloween,” Selina said.
“It has become a very big international event,” he added.
Selina HorshiSelina said hotels, bars and restaurants were all benefiting from the huge increase in footfall and said the four-day festival was a huge boost to the local economy.
“Because we are based just on the outskirts of the city, we also benefit from a lot of people stopping on their way to and from the city to eat or drink for the Halloween festival,” he added.
“I was in town last night and every bar and every restaurant was really busy and that’s why this council-run event is so important for business owners and traders.”
