Welcome to the BEST destination in the world to celebrate Halloween – Derry~Londonderry! With three nights of Derry Halloween fun, we promise this will be an unforgettable experience – filled with ghosts and ghouls, Halloween in the Walled City is like no other. To give you some inspiration for your trip this year, we’ve pulled together a Four day itinerary to help plan your Derry Halloween visit.
Day One (Thursday 28th October)
Getting Here:
3pm Arrival:
Once you arrive in the city, check into your accommodation. With a range of top hotels, luxurious self catering, guest houses and B&B accommodation you’ll experience a legenderry welcome!
Explore accommodation options here.
5pm Dinner: Walled City Brewery
Walk across our Peace Bridge and discover the Walled City Brewery. There you'll be treated to the finest cuisine and (for adults only) enjoy tasting some of the best craft beers around.
7pm Jungle NI
Kickstart your Halloween break in style, with a trip to Jungle NI. This one is for over 18s only, but if you’re brave enough, the Trail of Terror is definitely worth checking out. There, you’ll enter the real life horror movie spun in the depths of the ancient and haunted woodlands by a cast of nefarious and sordid creatures, telling tall tales to startle, bamboozle and scare even the most robust horror fans. Loaded with elements from previous Scare Attractions from seasons gone by, this MEGA attraction will provoke fear in all manner of ways.
You will meet a range of unsettling characters along the way, with no telling where the next scare will come from.
Keep your wits about you, there’s trouble lurking in the strangest of places. Armed with special effects, embedded sound and enhanced lighting throughout the journey, this immersive and terrifying event will provide all the adrenaline spiking stimulation you need this Halloween.
Friday
10am Visitor Pass/Walking Tour
Familiarise yourself with the city with a walking tour. While we’re a walkable, compact city, with a cosmopolitan vibe, there’s plenty to explore. For a start, check out Visit Derry’s brand new Visitor Information Centre in Waterloo Place, where you can pick up literature, maps and speak with our helpful tourist assistants.
There, you’ll also be able to purchase our great-value for money Visitor Pass (if you haven’t already bought this online). The pass includes two walking tours and entrance to a host of other visitor experiences. On the walking tour, you’ll learn all about our city’s rich history while exploring some of our hidden treasures along the way.
1pm Lunch: The Scullery Café
Next stop, lunch! Belly’s won’t be grumbling for long with the helpings of legenderry food available in the city. Head to The Scullery Café, there you’ll enjoy a lunch-time feast and chill out before really getting into the Derry Halloween spirit.
2pm Shopping: Foyleside Shopping Centre and Richmond Shopping Centre
If you haven’t already purchased your costume (which we strongly recommend you do in advance, because if you’re not dressed up for Derry Halloween then you will feel out of place), head to our shopping centres to pick something up, and get your make up done.
3pm Arachnobott
You’re all dress up and ready to go. Before heading for a bite to eat, swing by Guildhall Square and check out Arachnobott.
The giant spider will be roaming the streets looking for prey, or anyone brave enough to say hello!
Find out more here.
4pm Dinner: Browns In Town
If you escaped Archnobott’s clutches and made it to Browns In Town then you’ll be in for a real treat. Here you’ll enjoy a taste sensation at a Michelin recommended restaurant. Known for its casual dining experience, Browns In Town serves up great quality food combined with excellent service.
6pm World 1 – The Whispering Wharf
Head to the Queens Quay and Foyle Embankment to see Cailleach, Queen of Winter. The Goddess of the Cold and winds will lead visitors through Samhain storytelling and the ghost stories that haunt both our World and the World Beyond The Walls.
7pm World 2 – The City of Bones
Make your way to the Guildhall Square and The Diamond and prepare yourself to meet Walter de Burgh and his ancestors as they haunt the confines of the Walled City, turning it into their very own ‘City of Bones’. With installations and guises to chill even the coldest of hearts, the spirit of this starved knight will be welcomed by the people of Derry as they embrace Samhain.
Saturday
9am Breakfast: 9ine Hostages Coffee Co
Grab some breakfast and a cup of coffee at 9ine Hostages Coffee Co. Renowned for their great-tasting coffee, and mouth watering frys, it will set you up for the busy day ahead.
11am Tricks and Treats at Limitless
Search the Petrifying Pumpkin Patch for your pumpkin and add a personal touch at the carving station. Don your spookiest costume for the chance to win some goodies and try your hand at frightening feature archery and Wicked Witches Laser Clay Shooting or take out ghosts and ghouls at laser tag. Find out more here.
1pm Lunch: Primrose on the Quay
Enjoy lunch at the picturesque Primrose on the Quay and enjoy the views of our stunning River Foyle as you tuck into some legenderry food.
Museums
Use your Visitor Pass to check out our top museums. Hear all about the Plantation of Ulster in the Guildhall and see its stunning stained glass windows.
After, swing by the Tower Museum and learn all about the Story of Derry.
Don’t miss out on the chance the take in the city’s sights, from the vantage point of the top of the tower. At The Siege Museum and Exhibition you’ll learn all about the Siege of Derry. While at the Museum of Free Derry – located in the Bogside – you’ll experience a full multi-media exhibition of the civil rights movement and early conflict era in the city, including the Battle of the Bogside, Internment, Bloody Sunday and Operation Motorman.
5pm: The Lost Souls Tour
Derry has one of the largest Halloween festivals in the world with a history of murder, public executions and the tormented dead. Although all characters on this tour are deceased, their souls still linger with us!
This tour combines history, the hellish paranormal and poltergeist tales of Derry's lost souls. Terrifying tales and sinister stories of Derry's past. Stretching from Ebrington over the Peace bridge into the Walled City, covering the gruesome and horrific details of the city connected by the River Foyle. From tales dating back to the famine through to World War 1. Strictly over 16s Derry's dark side isn't for the faint hearted! Find out more here.
7pm Dinner: Soda and Starch
Dine at Soda and Starch located in the beautiful Craft Village. Chef Raymond Moran's award-winning, family run restaurant uses the some of Ireland’s finest producers and local suppliers to create the best seasonal menus. There is a fully covered and heated outdoor dinning area available.
8pm Samhain Sessions
Make your way to Waterloo Place and check out the series of live music session from the band stand.
8.30pm World 3 – The Awakening & The Forest of Shadows Ebrington Square & St. Columb’s Park
As the veil between this world and the next decays, the days of Samhain and Halloween open the door for an Awakening. Portals emerge allowing eager crowds to move through the Samhain circle. As ominous spirits appear… waiting. Drifting along the banks of the Foyle, nothing is what it seems as you enter the lair of Phantom Queen Morrigan. Welcoming you with dancing flames and hypnotic, mesmerising displays, luring you into the depths of the forest. Beware of paths lined with shape-shifting creatures and shadows that disguise whatever Queen Morrigan desires.
9pm After Dark
Once you have experienced the spooktacular delights of the Awakening of the Walled City, why not follow our After Dark Music Trail to extend your Derry Halloween experience and get your Halloween groove on to our amazing local musical talent! https://derryhalloween.com/whats-on/after-dark/
Sunday
9am Breakfast: Pickled Duck
Start the day with a delicious breakfast from The Pickled Duck Café on Shipquay Place, Guildhall Square.
10am Hay-bale trail in Strabane
Check out the Halloween hay trail in Strabane - click here for a list of location clues.
11am Married at First FRIGHT by In Your Space Circus at the Guildhall
We all know Walter the Skeleton (famous for appearing on the city coat of arms) but have you met his happily withered Wife? They have both travelled the globe looking for love since the beginning of time and their quest has always brought them back to the Walled City where they have met some of Derry's most renowned characters.
From Colmcille to Cuchulainn and the Siege to shirt factories, these two have seen it all! Join them now to hear the story of how fate brought these two corpses together under a full moon in the City of Bones... Find out more here.
12pm Farm in the Guildhall Square
Look out for the Hallowe’en Kids’ farm in Guildhall Square. You never know what the kiddies will see, from spooky spiders, revolting rats or even leaping lizards!
1pm Lunch: Sandwich Co
Take a short walk to the Diamond and enjoy a sandwich in the Sandwich Co.
2pm Wild Atlantic Way
Did you know we're just a short drive away from two of the most scenic driving routes - the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route.
We suggested heading to Buncrana's beautiful beaches, and if you have time, swing by Wild Ireland to see bears, wolves and other animals.
5pm World 5 – The Ancients Swan Park, Buncrana
The ancient Red Branch Knights of Ulster (An Croabh Rua) lie sleeping in full battle armour, ready to ride forth at Ireland’s moment of greatest need. Be prepared as they ready themselves to ride forth to Swan Park Buncrana, where you can experience legends, lore, and characters associated with the Red Branch Knights. Imagine how they might march again towards Lough Swilly on Halloween night, telling and reliving their stories.
7pm Dinner: Timberquay
Enjoy top quality food and fabulous cocktails while overlooking the River Foyle at Timberquay Restaurant.
8pm Samhain Sessions
Head over to Waterloo Place to enjoy the last of the Samhian Sessions before enjoying Derry Halloween’s spectacular fireworks finale.
9pm Fireworks Finale
Enjoy Derry Halloween’s famous firework displays and watch the samhain skies come alive with colour as this decade old tradition returns with a bang.
or if you want to enjoy the fireworks displays in Stranane:
World 4 – The Lost World
Spooky shenanigans are set to return to Strabane this autumn as Halloween descends on the town once again. A gruesome programme of animation and festivities will occur around the town. The Halloween Hay trail will be around the district from 15th – 31st October. There will be a spooktacular firework display which you can watch from the safety of your home on Sunday 31st October. As the veil between our world and the world of spirits begins to slip, we will know more about what lies in wait. Keep your wits about you, and your eyes peeled.
