Halloween in Derry - the best Halloween party in the world?

Writer: Helena Bergström

Halloween in Derry, Northern Ireland, offers a Halloween party that is perhaps the best in the world. The Halloween parade is incredibly powerful and people really go all out when it comes to getting spooky. To be part of this was something very special. Here is a picture bomb!

Derry in Northern Ireland

Derry, or Londonderry, is a city in Northern Ireland. The official name of the city since 2007 is Londonderry, but it is also often referred to as Derry. Behind the two different names is a conflict between nationalists (mainly Catholics) and unionists (mainly Protestants). Whatever you call it, this is a nice little town, with a fully preserved curtain wall.

Halloween in Derry

Halloween in Derry is sometimes referred to as the world's best Halloween party or 'THE best place to spend Halloween'. The celebration of Halloween originated in Ireland with the Celtic harvest festival 'Samhain'. On 31 October, people celebrated the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. At this time, it was believed that the souls of the dead were on the move ...

In the mid-1980s, Halloween in Derry began to evolve into a bigger party than anywhere else in Ireland, and today the parade and festivities attract more people than ever before. lots of people. Around 85,000 people live in the city, but when it's time for Halloween, another 45,000 people arrive. And almost all of them are dressed up ...

Press trip with participants from all over the world

I (Peter) was invited on a press trip via the tourist office, together with about 15 other journalists, bloggers and youtubers from all over the world. They really came from the whole world. I was alone from Scandinavia and was joined by a nice group from Italy, France, Spain, Holland, Australia, China, Japan, USA and Canada.

Halloween throughout the city

Halloween in Derry is more than the big parade. The holiday is celebrated everywhere, and everywhere you go you see pumpkins, ghosts and people in costume. They even lit up the church so that it glowed an eerie shade of green. It's supposed to be a ghost town and they've really nailed it.

Fright Night during Halloween in Derry

We went to an event called "Fright Night", at a place called The Jungle the day before Halloween. The Jungle is Ireland's largest outdoor activity centre and this week it's dedicated to Halloween. They have six different fields and bunkers for horror. People come here at night and go out into huge cornfields, and get chased by zombies ...

Halloween parade in Londonderry

On the evening of 31 October it was finally time for the big parade. Wow! This was really, really cool. No expense is spared when dressing up here, and everyone really goes all out. all in when it comes to costumes and make-up. Here's a picture bomb from the parade.

Pub night after the parade

After the parade, some of us, including me and Emanuele from Italy, went out to have a few beers and mingle with ghosts, skeletons and other random people. Check out his Instagram (239K followers) which is super cool, where I am also featured in the last two posts. Search "emalloru"

What else happens during Halloween in Derry?

Say what not happening during Halloween in Derry? Those who haven't had enough can also take a guided 'Ghost Bus Tour'.

Of course, Derry also offers a lot of other interesting things, such as history, sights and good food. I will tell you about this in another post!