Halloween Events In Ireland 2024: Frights, Fun And Festivities!
Are you looking for Halloween events in Ireland to enjoy the freaky time of the year with your friends?
Halloween is the time to remind us that we need to be weird sometimes. It is that one night of the year for everyone, from kids to older people, to be a little bizarre and embrace our inner ghouls or heroes.
It doesn’t matter what costume you put on, here is a list of Halloween events in Ireland that you must visit to capture some memorable snaps for posting on social media.
Halloween Events In Ireland
Here is a chart of the Halloween events in Ireland along with their respective dates:
| Event Name | Dates |
|---|---|
| Púca Festival | 31 Oct – 3 Nov |
| Samhain Shadows and Fire Procession (Waterford) | 25 Oct |
| Samhain: Limerick Hallowe’en Festival | 26 Oct |
| Dead of Night Halloween Festival (Longford) | 28 Oct |
| Derry Halloween Festival | 28 Oct – 31 Oct |
| Bram Stoker Festival | 25 Oct – 28 Oct |
| The Nightmare Realm | October (specific dates vary) |
| Ghostbus Tour | October (ongoing) |
| The Horror Hike | 19 Oct onwards |
| EPIC: Beware of Dracula | 26 Oct – 3 Nov |
| EPIC: Ghosts, Ghouls and Goodie Glover Day | 29 Oct – 31 Oct |
| Wicklow Historic Gaol: The Gates of Hell Tour | October (ongoing) |
1. Púca Festival
The Púca Festival is one of the well-known events in County Meath. It stretched for four days to revive the celebrations of Samhain and the Celtic New Year. The festival is held in partnership with several Irish artists to keep the magical glow of Irish attraction alive.
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Some of the notable events in this Halloween festival in Ireland are heritage tours, the Samhain circus, a harvest market and a Samhain fire show to ignite the Halloween spirits of the visitors.
A comedy event to make the event more mischievous is also organised by Púca Festival. Besides, meditation sessions are a part of the festival to bring Irish mythology to life.
The event is scheduled from 31 October to 3 November at various venues, Athboy and Trim.
2. Samhain Processions
Ireland is known to be the best fusion of Samhain and Halloween since it marks the festivities of Celtic festivals. It means that it is the end of harvest and a welcoming of winter in a celebratory manner.
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The Halloween events in Ireland regarding Samhain night processions include:
Samhain Shadows and Fire Procession in Waterford. It is Ireland’s oldest city and the first procession will be launched on 25 October.
The second Samhain festival Ireland would take off on 26 October called Samhain: Limerick Hallowe’en Festival. It is best known for invoking the spirits of Shannon for those who are wearing the weirdest costumes for the event.
The third Samhain festival Ireland would be considered as a closing weekend in Longford on 28 October. The event is the Dead of Night Halloween Festival. It would include a fiery finale in Connolly Barracks for the Visitors.
3. Derry Halloween Festival
If you live in Derry, then the Derry Halloween festival is a must-go. It is the largest Halloween festivity in the walled city of Derry. This dazzling festival also spans over four nights, starting from 28 October till 31 October 2024.
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Some of the highlights of the festival are ‘Awakening the Walled City Trail’, parade and fireworks, freaky family fun activities, ghostly gigs, the heart of Samhain, carnival parade and the fire finale.
The head of culture at Council, Areiden McCarter explained that the event organising team has been working with the local officers to ensure the smooth running of the entire festival as it is one the most anticipated events in Northern Ireland. The creative and performers are all set to take part in a dynamic and comprehensive program of Halloween in 2024, she said.
4. Halloween Festival Dublin
Keep counting the Halloween festivals in Dublin when we say we have a list for you too. Here you go:
Bram Stoker Festival
This Halloween festival in Dublin is marked for four nights, starting from 25 October till 28 October. The festival claims to make Dublin fully gothic in which every show is specified for a certain age group.
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For example, a comic and family-friendly theatre of the festival in Dublin City Council would be targeted at 8-12-year-olds. Another event within the festival is “Frank and McStein’s Monster Laboratory”, meant to be for the entire family.
“Stokerland” is a sure shot that is just the right event for mesmerising Victorian fun in daylight for the whole family.
How about a fun-filled flip book activity for kids for children who love arts or animation? The event is called “Freaky Flip Books Workshops for Kids”.
The Nightmare Realm
You just cannot ignore Ireland’s spookiest indoor scream park Halloween adventure when you are in Dublin. The Nightmare Realm is celebrating “15 years of fear this October” and there is a reason for it.
It won “Best Scream Park in Europe” in 2023 at the Urban Horror along with “Most Entertaining Indoor Scream Park 2022” and some awards for 2019.
It arranges new mazes and themes every year. The dedication of the staff and the artists goes all year round, in decorating the rooms for the next big festival and switching up characters to re-invent something new for the next Halloween.
This Halloween Dublin festival thrives on its creativity and that is why you should always visit it every year. Some of the new mazes, in which two persons are allowed at a time are “House of Little Red”, “The Last Gas Station at the Left”, and “Slappy’s Birthday Bash” etc.
Not to miss: The Little Museum of Horrors and Village of Fear XV.
Ghostbus Tour
A perfect blend of comedy and horror, the Ghostbus tour is the Halloween Dublin festival which is one of the extraordinary family attractions in Ireland. There are separate adult and kids tours in which the intensity of horror is fixed according to age.
The dark storytelling technique is adopted by the Ghostbus tour so that a glimpse of Dublin’s undertaking of Halloween is demonstrated thoroughly to the visitors. The visitors experience the most horrific and shocking paranormal activities which creates a special aura for the special festivity.
The Ghostbus tour claims that as soon as you board the bus, the fun and horror begin at the same time. It starts with mazes and chambers, and stepping into the Victorian era with Halloween touches to give a full feel of the night’s eccentric events.
The Horror Hike in Dublin
The Horror Hike is a three-hour tour that includes a tour of some of the haunted places in Dublin including the Hellfire Club which is among the top-haunted places in the capital. It was once a space of satanic callings, supernatural activities that is now known as the darker side of Dublin. Ireland has its own spooky past and once you visit it, you’ll know why it is so.
Other stops of this Halloween festival in Dublin include St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rathfarnham Castle, and Kilakee House on your way to the Dublin Mountains.
You can book a tour that is expected to start from 19 October. Various other dates are available for the bookings. Moreover, the tour is not recommended for under 18 years.
Epic
The two prime highlights of the events that are arranged at EPIC museum, Dublin’s Docklands, are “Beware of Dracula” and a tour named “Ghosts, Ghouls and “Goodie Glover Day”: The Irish Origins of Halloween”.
The first event is based on the character designed by the Irish author, Bram Stoker. This would be mainly a family tour in which the visitors would be shown around the museum and stop in between for storytelling sessions and to discover more about Bram Stoker’s life and achievements about vampires. The event is scheduled from 26 October to 3 November.
The mythologies and history of Halloween in Ireland will be discussed in the second event. It would be open for visitors on October 29, 30 and 31 at 2 pm local time.
5. Wicklow Historic Gaol
County Wicklow’s Halloween festival Ireland is remarkable for its own kind. There couldn’t be a better place to celebrate your Halloween as it is possibly the greatest haunted place in the country.
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“The Gates of Hell Tour” is a virtual reality experience within the walls of the jail with separate day and night tours for you to choose from.
The festival is designed to depict the 1700s era with a three-dimensional view, showing dark dungeons and those who live inside them. The experience inculcates a ghostly guest appearance along with one of the prisoners of that time to give a “real” feel and spooks.
The virtual reality tour, which involves stories of those imprisoned during the time of British rule, is both fun and educational. For the best Halloween adventures, a comprehensively audio and visually engaging tour is planned with holographic appearances of the Goaler.
The tour lasts for 19 minutes and is suitable for ages 10 and above.
Conclusion
Although the post is a compilation of all the conspicuous Halloween events in Ireland, a few of the origins of Halloween are deep-rooted in Ireland only.
When you think of the world’s most awaited event of the year, you think of a Jack-o-Lantern, which first originated in Ireland. Irish stone circles have their own dark and sinister story to tell, starting with the Celts, people who lived in Ireland, Scotland and a few parts of Europe over 2,000 years ago. Celts are closely related to the Irish stone circles which do not have any concrete evidence but do have signs of their relation to the dark side of the other worlds.
With a blend of Irish traditions, Halloween is celebrated all across the country with decorative vigour. Costume parties, bonfires, going out with friends for Trick-or-Treating or attending some of the daring Halloween events form the ultimate essence of Halloween in Ireland.
Go for it then!
